Their Tangled Love
by Princesse de Feu
Summary: After three years of isolation, Ash Ketchum returns to take part in a huge festival in Kalos. Then, a certain four girls take an interest in him, and the real battling begins... Amourshipping, Advanceshipping, Pearlshipping, Pokeshipping, Harem. Poll for final ship is up now!
1. An Invitation

**PLEASE READ FIRST:**

**Despite what my account says, this is not my first fanfiction. In fact, it's far from it. So, this is my first fic on this account. :3**

**This story is going to contain a LOT of ships. I'm not sure what the final ships will be because I am going to put up polls to see which ones people prefer. I'll let you know my opinion on them too.**

**So, if you strongly support one certain ship and you know you'll be upset if another ships wins over yours, please don't read this and flame. I'm warning ya now, lots of multishipping!**

**Okay, so characters:**

**May- 16**

**Misty- 17**

**Dawn- 16**

**Paul- 17**

**Ash- 17**

**Drew- 16**

**Shippings may include: Amourshipping, Advanceshipping, Pearlshipping, Pokeshipping, Egoshipping, Contestshipping, Ikarishipping, Gymshipping, Comashipping, and whatever others come up. I'm not entirely sure myself. It depends what you all want!**

**Anyway, please review if you like this. If not, I won't bother writing and I'll try a new idea. Just trying to see what kind of things people like. :3**

* * *

Just like every other day, May Maple sat alone at her dining room table. The sixteen year old set her cup down on a mat and sighed across at the door. She wished somebody would come in to talk to her. It seemed hardly anybody did anymore, now that _he _was gone. It was like they were scared she would freak out about it, but it had been almost three years. She was sure she could handle the mentioning of his name from time to time. Then it seemed her loneliness was inevitable, because she had slowly drifted away from her closest friends. Perhaps the only person she had left was her little brother, Max.

As if on cue, the door swung loudly open and the teenager stepped in. He was fourteen now, and looked about the same as Ash did before he disappeared. Sometime in those three years, the glasses that used to sit on the end of his nose had been ditched and replaced with some nifty contact lenses that certainly improved his look. Though Max had trouble making and keeping friends too. It was as if he was afraid of them running away, like Ash did.

"Morning, sis," the boy greeted and walked over to the sink. He poured himself a glass of water, but got nothing else, and sat beside her. His eyes scanned her, as he thought she couldn't see what he was doing.

"Good morning, Max," she finally replied, avoiding eye contact. Her eyes were tearing up, and she didn't want her brother to have to see.

"There was a phone call for you," he started, taking a sip of the water. May's head jolted in his direction as sheer confusion covered her face. She blinked a few times.

"For me?"

Max nodded and smiled at her bewilderment. He knew that May liked receiving phone calls, as long as they contained good news or a decent conversation. Now she was eager to get to the phone and see who it was.

"Right, I'll go call them back then," May calmly said and pushed her way out of the chair. She glided across the room gently, glanced back at Max for a moment, then set off running down the hall. She skidded around the corner with a smile on her face and sat down in front of the video phone. She set the phone to call the last number that had rang, then sat back and waited. After a few rings, it picked up, and Dawn's face came into view.

"Dawn?" May asked, her eyes widening. Dawn looked nervous and tired. She looked older too. May hadn't seen her in at least a year and a half. Dawn seemed to look prettier and prettier every time May got the chance to see her.

"Hi, May!" Dawn exclaimed and grinned. A grin spread across May's face too and she leaned in a little, struggling to contain her excitement.

"Hey! Long time no see, huh?" she started to twirl the cords of the phone around her finger and continued to smile at her friend.

"Yeah... Sorry about that. I should have called," Dawn apologized, looking down at her hands. May's face grew serious again.

"It's okay, Dawn," she said with a shake of her head, "I'm just glad you're fine. So, why'd you call?"

"Okay, so, you're not going to believe this, but we got invited to a special Pokémon contest, that only the best are invited to!"

May almost choked on a cough. "We? You mean, me too!?"

"Yeah!" Dawn squealed, bouncing up and down on her chair. May's jaw dropped and Dawn just got even more excited as she started to clap.

"When? Where? Why? How?" May started to stutter, blinking a little too fast. Dawn narrowed her eyes and leaned in.

"Calm down," She said, and rubbed her eyes. "too many questions at once. I'll explain. It's going to be in the Kalos region. You know it?"

May replied with a simple nod.

"Yeah, so there. It starts in four days, but I was told that it might last a whole week. All the best trainers are invited, even those that aren't coordinators. I was invited and once I mentioned that I knew the princess of Hoenn herself, they demanded that I invite you. I know a few other people that were invited too..."

"Oh? Like who?" May asked, concerned at her tone. Dawn was avoiding eye contact now, and looked as if she regretted saying anything.

"Well, Drew will be there, and Solidad, probably... Zoey and Kenny too..."

"You sound as if they would bother me. Why would any of those guys bother me? I like Zoey and Kenny!"

"It's not that, it's just..." Dawn hesitated. Then, she took a deep breath, and spat it out, "They invited Ash too."

May's heart skipped a beat.

"I mean, he might not show up, but... It's the first big event he's been invited to since... Then... So I thought maybe he might turn up after all, you know...?"

May was still silent, and tears threatened in the corners of her eyes. She rubbed them quickly with the back of her wrist and smiled weakly at Dawn.

"I don't think he'll turn up. It's been three years, after all, and he hasn't called or bothered trying to contact any of us. I'd love him to show up, though... I really would..."

"But, you're wrong," Dawn started, a smiled breaking across her face at the thought of the good news she was about to deliver. "He has contacted one of us."

May's stomach turned and her heart started to race. Taking a raggedy breath, she shook her head.

"He has? Who? When?"

"Again with the questions," Dawn said, but her smile never disappeared. "The person he travelled with in Kalos. Her name is Serena. He left her a note."

"_Her _name?" May asked, and felt a twang in her heart. _Why does this happen to me? Why do I even care if he puts this other female before me? _Still she felt her heart drop a little.

"Yeah... Her... Anyway, I'm almost certain he'll come! So, will you join me?" Dawn asked, and May smiled.

"Of course I will, Dawn," the thought of Ash made her determined to go. With his face in her mind she sighed happily and let her mind wander away with him. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

Serena rose out of her bed in the late afternoon. There was no point in getting up any earlier, but now she was hungry, so she had to. Glancing in the mirror she saw that she looked like a complete mess. Her hair stuck up all over the place. She tried to press it down and grumbled when it made no difference. Without dressing she headed down the stairs, where her mother was sitting on the sofa.

"Serena, you look terrible," her mother said, but she almost sounded sorry for her daughter. Serena frowned and rubbed the back of her head without saying a word. She wandered over to the kitchen and started to make herself some brunch.

"You should call your friends!" her mom called in, and she sighed. "You need to get out of the house! You must have some friends..."

"I have plenty of friends," Serena grumbled and slammed a bowl down on the counter. She thought about Clemont and Bonnie, but she had no idea where they were. Ash's disappearance seemed to hit Clemont hard, and she hadn't heard from him since he went home. His dad brought Bonnie over for a visit a few months ago, and the girl, who was now around ten years old, informed Serena that her brother was fine. Her neighbour Calem visited from time to time, and Serena noticed that he was trying to win her over with compliments and flirting, but she ignored all of that.

By the time her flood of thoughts was over, she was finished eating and washed up. With a certain girl in her mind she climbed back up the stairs quietly, hoping her mom would leave her alone.

She pulled on a new outfit. Her old red and black dress hadn't fit her for a year at least, but she still kept it. She just couldn't bring herself to throw it away. She knew the reason, yet she'd still tell her mom that it was because she loved it. Her new dress was almost identical, only blue and white instead. She pulled on an identical navy blue hat too, once she'd sorted her hair out. She made sure that she looked okay in the mirror, and almost walked away, when she spotted something on the dressing table next to her. She gulped, reached out, and took it. A small piece of paper, with just six words written on it.

'I miss you. I'm sorry.

Ash.x'

She bit her lip with a little sniff and put the note back on the desk. She thought back to when she received the letter early morning just three days ago.

* * *

_She woke to the sound of the letterbox first. It was a funny thing to wake up to, since she hardly ever received letters. Something about this intrigued her, and she raced down the stairs with excitement. As she reached the final step she saw a shadow disappear down her yard. She blinked a few times before looking at the letterbox. Nothing there. Then, she saw it. A note lying right by the foot of the door, folded in two._

_She reached out and took it. Whether it was for her or not, she couldn't tell. She figured that if it was secret or confidential, it would of at least been put in an envelope with a name. So, with shaky hands, she unfolded the paper, and read the six words._

_Then she dropped it. Her hands were shaking badly now. Her jaw started to tremble as she took it in. Then, a rush of panic hit her, and she pushed out of the door and ran down her path barefoot. It had been raining, but that hardly bothered her. She reached the end of the path in seconds and began to scream his name. By now her mother had reached the door, and was calling something, but Serena didn't listen. She continued to scream his name and fell onto her knees, the tears finally freeing themselves. She cried so violently like this until her mother came to her and guided her back into the house._

* * *

Then, Serena was angry for a moment. How could he leave her such a simple note and then leave straight away? Why hadn't he come to see her? If he missed her so much, he should have. She thought for almost three years that he had been dead. He didn't even give her a sign. Not one- Until now.

Pushing that to the back of her mind, she went over to her phone. It took her a moment to be able to dial the number. Eventually, she did, and the girl answered.

"Uh, hi," Serena tried, rubbing her arm nervously. Dawn looked away awkwardly.

"Serena? Uh... Why are you calling?" she asked, never making eye contact. Serena smiled weakly.

"I... I was wondering if you would like to meet up a little earlier than the festival," Serena stuttered. To her surprise, a smile spread across Dawn's face.

"Of course! I'm getting so bored here with my mom and Piplup really wants to get out of here," Dawn replied, lifting Piplup onto the desk next to her. "I'll be in Kalos tomorrow."

"Thanks, Dawn," Serena said with a sigh. "I'm getting tired of my mom asking if I'm alright. I don't think I'll tell her about the note."

"No problem," Dawn said. "I want to see Kalos anyway. I've never been of course. Oh, and I'll bring a friend! See ya!"

"Wait!" Serena called, but Dawn had already hung up. Serena pushed away from the phone and checked how she looked once more. When she was sure she looked okay, she walked back down the stairs and prepared to say goodbye to her mom again for the first time in a year.

* * *

Twelve hours later, Dawn lay back on her bed and sighed up at the ceiling. She hadn't left her house to travel in a long time. With Ash gone, and her love for contests diminishing, she figured it'd be a good idea to find a career. She'd gotten a part time job, for the meantime, since she was just sixteen. She'd made some money, but she still lived with her mom. She stored most of it, bought dresses with the rest.

She rolled over and flicked off the light. She felt Piplup beside her and smiled once before quickly drifting off to sleep. Almost right away she started to stir.

_A fourteen year old Dawn cheered as loud as she could for her friend. From the bleachers she watched Ash and Diantha battle for the title of Kalos champion. Ash had never made it this far, but this time he really had a chance. To her left was a girl she hadn't spoken to called Serena. Her mouth was set in a hard line as she watched the battle with nervous eyes, as if it was her doing the battling. To her right was May, who was cheering too, but not as loudly. Misty wasn't able to show up._

_Then, in a flash, the final move was made, and Diantha's Gardevior fainted. Dawn collapsed back in her seat with her jaw dropped. Ash had done it. Ash had beaten the champion of Kalos._

_Serena jumped up happily and ran down along the side of the steps onto the battlefield. Ash was frozen in his place, unable to believe that after all this time, he'd finally done it. Serena threw her arms around him and shook him a little too. May was running down too, but she didn't hug him. She congratulated him. The smile they shared showed they cared for each other as best friends._

_Dawn herself went down to see him. As she reached him she raised her hand and he brought his up to meet it, just as they used to. Dawn giggled, and congratulated him too. Ash thanked her too and Diantha was walking over. Then, she walked away with Ash, and he promised he would meet with them later to celebrate._

_Two hours later, they did meet. Then, Dawn's mind went blank. She remembered nothing past that. Nothing until three weeks later, when she received a call from the referee for Ash's battles._

"_We can't find him," the referee was saying with fear in his voice. "We can't find him anywhere. He hasn't showed up for a battle in three days."_

_Dawn dropped the phone. _

"_Maybe he ran away because he was scared of losing his title," she remembered one reporter saying._

"_Why wouldn't he come say goodbye to me?" May had said as she sobbed into the phone. Two weeks._

"_They're giving up," Misty informed her. A month._

_A month until they gave up looking. Ash Ketchum, the boy who had won the title of Kalos Champion at just fourteen years old, had vanished. His title was to be given back to Diantha._

* * *

When Dawn rose, it was early morning. Her first thought was of her dream. She shuddered and pulled herself out of the bed. She hadn't dreamt about that day in a long time, so why now?

She showered and dressed and did her hair before she dared to leave the room. Looking as nice as ever she left the room which she had booked at the Pokémon centre. She didn't stop for breakfast or for chatter. With Piplup following close behind, she stepped out into Camphrier town. It was so early, hardly anybody was out. But, she had only arrived the day before, and hadn't had a chance to look around yet.

The castle didn't really interest her all that much. What she really wanted to see was the location of the festival- Parfum Palace. Even from the cobble streets of the little town, she could see the top of the huge estate. She'd only seen a few photos of it, but knew it was impressive. She was excited to see.

She took a step forward to cross the road and head for the palace, when the honk of a car horn sent her scrambling back onto the path. As the car rode past a hand flew out of the window and waved frantically. With a skip of her heart she grinned widely and waved back, running alongside the car. It pulled up beside her a moment later and May jumped out the passenger side.

"Dawn!" she called, though the girl was no further than 15 feet from her. Dawn waved and jogged until she stood before her friend. A moment later, the other door opened, and the driver stepped onto the concrete. She slammed the door shut, turned towards the two girls, and pushed the shades up onto her head.

"Oh, right," May started and Dawn turned back towards her, "that's Misty. I brought her along too... She was the first person Ash travelled with. I hope you don't mind."

Dawn only stared as the slightly taller girl walked over and held out her hand. With hesitation, Dawn shook her hand and muttered, "Nice to meet you."

"You too!" the girl said cheerfully. Dawn had seen her before somewhere...

"Misty is a water Pokémon master. Isn't that cool?" May said in a voice that showed she was genuinely impressed. Dawn raised an eyebrow and glared up and down at Misty for a moment.

"Is that so?"

"And you're a top coordinator. Everybody's heard of the fantastic Dawn Berlitz."

Dawn smiled and shook her head. "Maybe, but May's still more famous than me. She's amazing."

"I know," Misty quickly added. May blushed slightly and waved her hand, like she was blowing away the compliments.

"You guys are praising me too much!" she said. "I'm not that good."

"You haven't lost a single contest in two years, May. Plenty of people have tried to beat you and they can't. Not even Wallace," Dawn argued, "and he's the best in Hoenn; except you, of course."

"Okay, okay," May said, holding up her hands. "Can we go now? I'm really eager to see this palace!"

At the palace, it was already busy. They walked down the path leading to the huge building, and passed several people they recognised. When they got closer to the palace, they noticed people holding drinks, hanging around in groups, and showing off their Pokémon. May was entranced by the amount of people already there. It was already busier than any contest she'd been to before, hands down. Whoever owned the palace was a powerful and rich man, no doubt.

When they reached the fountain before the doors, a butler ushered them inside and into a room lined with tables and chairs and balloons. Just like the gardens, the room was packed with people. Many of them were wearing fancy dresses and suits. Before Dawn realized, she was standing in front of the owner of the palace itself, and it caught her off guard.

"Good morning, Miss Berlitz," he greeted her with a bow.

"Yeah," Dawn said absent-mindedly. "I mean, good morning, sir!" she corrected herself and curtseyed. May caught up from behind and mimicked Dawn.

"Miss Maple and Miss Waterflower. Welcome!"

"Thank you," they said in unison, then looked at each other for a moment. None of the three girls were used to a place like this, though they were all well known.

"Enjoy the party," he said, and almost turned away, until May interrupted him.

"Um, sir," she started, and he turned back towards her. "The festival isn't for another three days, does the party last that long?"

"Oh yes, this is just one big party. Everybody has a room here at the palace, even you. Four beds in it, for your friends. Everybody stays here so you can visit each other's rooms or party all night, how fun!" the man said with a chuckle and quickly scooted away. May blinked a few times.

"Wow, this is going to be so cool!" Dawn shouted, and Misty grinned. "Let's go explore the gardens."

Dawn led the way into the gardens. It seemed as if they were the same size as a town. Excitedly Dawn pulled May along and Misty followed. They wandered into a massive maze, and followed the bushes along, until they realised they were well and truly lost.

"Dawn, this is your fault," Misty sighed. "Everybody we ask is lost too. I think this maze is a little too big."

"Complaining won't help," Dawn grumbled back and Misty rolled her eyes. May opened her mouth to say something but shut it again.

"What if we retraced our steps?" Dawn tried.

"Do you remember every single turn we made?" Misty attacked again. "Because I don't."

They turned another corner and followed the grass path down until they realised that it came to a dead end. Misty screamed quietly and May sighed. Dawn turned and kicked her foot into the bushes with frustration.

"Need help, ladies?"

Dawn whirled around and glared at the male the voice came from. She'd never seen him before, except on television. He was insanely popular, almost as popular as May, especially with females. He leaned against the bush and crossed his arms with a crooked smile. May turned and sighed.

"Oh, it's you," she muttered and walked over to him. Without her permission, he pulled her into a hug, which she quickly pulled away from. He looked down at her with something in his eyes that Dawn didn't recognise. May rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Drew," she said. "Long time no see, huh?"

"You don't seem very pleased to see me," he said, keeping that crooked smile on his face. May smiled.

"That's because I'm not, really," she said, and walked past him. Drew's jaw dropped and he furrowed his eyebrows before raising his finger and falling back into the bush with a shout. May turned back and covered her mouth to stop herself from snorting with laughter. Misty looked horrified as she walked past. Drew stuck out his hand for help and she ignored it. Dawn grabbed it and pulled him out, shaking her head. He brushed himself off.

"Dawn Berlitz, right?" he asked, flicking his hair back. Dawn laughed lightly.

"Yeah. See you later."

"Wait, what?" Drew choked as Dawn turned and walked away from him. He narrowed his eyes.

"Damn girls. All the same. Didn't even get to let them know about Ash."

* * *

At the entrance of the palace, Serena stepped up to the fountain. She looked around nervously at all the people.

"Excuse me," she called to a passer-by and held out her hand. The boy with purple hair looked at her and grunted, but ignored her otherwise. She sighed and headed towards the barbecue area.

Sitting at a table alone, she spotted the same guy from the corner of her eye. She looked over at him, and he was sitting alone too. She figured it wouldn't hurt to make some friends, and without thinking she stood up and walked over. As she took a seat he raised an eyebrow and she looked away nervously.

"Hi," she said simply.

"Hi," he repeated in a dull tone. His voice was deep and seemed to have a power to it... Which made her shudder.

"My name's Serena," she tried and smiled over at him. He didn't smile back, as if he was incapable.

"Paul."

"Right... I have no idea what's going on here," she said, attempting to make conversation. Paul sat back in his seat and put his hands behind his head.

"Don't you have your room key?"

"My what?"

"Do you even know anybody here?"

"Yeah, Dawn Berlitz. Have you seen her?"

For a moment, Paul looked distracted. Then, he shook his head. "No."

"Oh... Well, thanks anyway. Um... I don't suppose you've seen Ash Ketchum?"

Paul's eyes widened for a moment, then returned to normal. He did his best to look uninterested and calm as he answered her. "Why would I have seen him? He went missing three years ago."

"I know," Serena said, and leaned in. "You didn't hear it from me, but I think he might be coming to this festival."

Paul shook his head. "He's dead."

"You don't know that," Serena said defensively. "How could you possibly know that? Who are you?"

"An old rival of Ash's," Paul said, and Serena just stared. "I suppose you could say he is my friend. I don't think Ash is the sort of person that would run away like that. I think he must be dead."

"When were you Ash's rival?"

"When he travelled Sinnoh."

"Well then, I knew him after you, and I know that he is not dead!"

"And, who are you?" Paul asked in an annoyed tone. Serena was getting on his nerves now.

"I travelled with Ash through Kalos and I was there when he battled Diantha. I know he can't be dead... And I miss him," she went quiet. Paul sighed but his face didn't change.

"I haven't seen the kid in at least four years," he shrugged, "don't even remember what he looks like, really."

"I do," Serena quickly said. "Um, I mean... Uh..."

"I won't even ask," Paul said and looked away. Serena fell silent and stared down at her feet. She shuffled them and inspected the Mary Janes she was wearing before looking back up.

"Paul, will you walk with me?"

Paul grunted and looked up. "Walk where?"

"Um... Wherever Dawn is. You could help me find her."

Paul considered this for a moment. Serena thought he'd say no for sure, because of the look on his face. Then he stood up. Serena copied him without saying a word and looked at the people around her. Everybody seemed to have a partner. Some people were dancing with each other, others sat in pairs at tables. Others just say on the edge of the fountain holding hands politely. Paul rolled his eyes and looped his arm around Serena's. Her eyes widened and she looked up at him.

"Only because I can read your mind, and if Ash is here, this might draw him out of the crowd."

Serena didn't fully understand, but went with Paul anyway. Eventually her arm started to hurt and she switched to holding his hand instead. It was a little awkward, but eventually she got used to it. They walked around the edge of the maze together, until they reached the exit. They almost walked by it, when Serena heard something.

"She's here. I heard her."

Paul stopped and looked dully over at the exit. A moment later Dawn ran around the corner and sighed extremely loudly. When she looked over at Serena, her jaw dropped.

"Serena and... Paul?" she coughed. Serena dropped Paul's hand quickly as Misty and May came panting around the corner.

"Hello, Dawn," Paul stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Uh, hey," Dawn stuttered. "Um, May, Misty, this is Serena and Paul. Serena and Paul, meet May and Misty."

Misty smiled over at Serena. "Ooh, I'm making so many new friends today."

"I've made none," Paul said, and Serena punched him lightly on the arm. Dawn raised her eyebrow.

"Okay... So, want to go see which rooms we're in?"

"Sure," May said, and Serena nodded. Paul shrugged and followed behind the four girls. After a little while Serena fell back and walked beside him, though he mostly ignored her. Soon they were at a desk in the first room of the palace.

"Dawn Berlitz, let's see..." the receptionist started, and typed a few things into her computer. "You're in room 307 on floor 3 along with a May, Misty, and Serena. Is that okay?"

"That's great!" Dawn exclaimed. The receptionist handed her a key, and Dawn thanked her. Before running off to their room, they waited until Paul got his key too. The receptionist went through the same process, then handed him a key too.

"You're in room 295 on floor 2 with another person but... We don't seem to have a name here. We already had all of your things transferred here from the Pokémon centre so there's no need to get them."

"Thanks," Paul said with a nod and turned to the girls.

"What are we even going to do now?" Misty sighed.

"Let's just explore some more."

The five of them left the room in a group and stepped out into the burning sun. As it approached noon the heat built up so that everyone was far too hot.

"On second thought, I'll go change," May said, rubbing her head with the back of her wrist. Paul nodded and they went back inside. He separated to go off to his room while the girls took the elevator to the third floor and saw that their room was one of the first. Dawn unlocked the door and they wandered inside. The room was surprisingly big with a bunk bed and two single beds. A door at the far side of the room led to a bathroom and a huge glass door at the back opened up onto a balcony that looked across the garden and the huge party. May flung the doors open and marvelled at the sight.

"I never want to leave this place!" she exclaimed, then returned to the room, grabbed some clothes from her case, and disappeared into the bathroom. Misty was already wearing a short red shirt that tied in a bow just below her chest. She wore shorts that were almost identical to the ones she wore when she travelled with Ash, but they were slightly lighter. She tied her hair up into a ponytail at the back of her head and many loose strands fell down either side of her face framing it. Then she grabbed a pair of sunglasses and stuck them back on her face.

Dawn changed into a mini pink and black skirt, and a black shirt with a pretty white collar. She tied her hair up like she used to in contests with little pink clips and also put on a pair of sunglasses.

"You look nice," Misty complimented as she looked in the mirror. Dawn glanced over suspiciously.

"Thanks."

May came out wearing a white tank top and shorts with a black sleeveless jacket. Her now longer hair was tied in a white and pink bandanna. She smiled as she entered the room and Misty tossed a pair of sunglasses at her too.

"Thanks, but Serena might need some too," May suggested. Serena hadn't changed, and still wore the pretty white and blue dress. Misty handed her a pair of sunglasses too, and she reluctantly put them on.

"Right, to Paul's room then?" Dawn asked. Misty nodded.

Paul was waiting inside the elevator and he looked his friends up and down as they entered. With a grunt he ignored their greetings. Once back outside the group wandered over to a stand selling drinks. Dawn offered to buy drinks for everybody, until she was informed that they were free. With a smile they took the drinks and turned to walk to a table. For a moment, they were looking down the stairs. In that moment, Serena spotted something. Something flashed by quickly, but slowly enough for her to see what it was. She knew what it was.

"Serena?" Dawn asked, shaking her friend's shoulder. Serena stood frozen for a moment. Then, with a sharp intake of breath she dropped the glass, let it smash on the concrete, and raced down the stairs towards the maze.

"Serena!" Dawn was calling, and now they were all chasing after her. She skidded around the corner to where the tables sat and her head jerked from side to side, trying to find it again. Moments later Dawn caught up and tugged her away.

"What the hell was that all about?" Dawn asked as she helped Serena into a seat. Serena looked up with a confused look in her eye and shook her head.

"It's nothing, I uh... thought I saw something," she said nervously, and most of the group raised an eyebrow. Dawn sighed and handed her another drink, which she thanked her for. They all started to talk about their Pokémon and where they'd been, but Serena's mind was somewhere else. She knew what she saw. It was him. She'd seen Ash.

* * *

**So I hope it isn't too difficult to understand or anything. I think I might have Misty/May/Serena/Dawn compete over Ash, but it's all up to you guys! Don't forget to review if you liked it! :3**


	2. Are you back?

**So, I've decided to continue this fic. It got a lot more views and reviews that I thought it would! I see you're all wanting different ships so I promise you, there'll be plenty of all of them. I'll put a poll up soon so you can vote for the final ship.**

**Acknowledgements****:**

**Novaking- (I know I already replied to you but I feel like I should answer here too). I do not have an update schedule as such, because I never know when I'm going to be too busy to write. I'll try to post at least one chapter a week.**

**Rubius- Yeah, Iris is missing out. I actually forgot about her! If enough people really want her included, I could write her in. Personally, I don't like her that much.**

**Thanks to everyone for reviewing. This will be a harem fic. :3 The more reviews this gets, the faster the new chapters will come. That seems fair to me. x3 **

* * *

"Well, today was interesting."

Dawn's voice echoed around the previously silent room and Misty groaned. Serena lay on her side, facing the glass doors. She pretended to sleep as the other girls began to talk.

"If by interesting you mean horrid, then yes," Misty said with a snort, and May giggled.

"It wasn't that bad," Dawn said, giving a small chuckle herself. "I mean, I'm having a great time, and it's only just started!"

"Okay, so it was pretty good. Except when lover boy Drew spilled his drink all over me in an attempt to catch May. He's all over you."

May's face turned sour but even in the darkness, Dawn caught sight of her tiny blush. May turned away a little. "I wish he'd go away. He's so annoying."

"Is that what you really think?" Dawn asked, raising an eyebrow. "I think you like him! You do, don't you!?"

May choked at Dawn's sudden outburst. "No! Of course not! In fact, I dislike him! I couldn't possibly..."

The room fell silent again as May twirled her index fingers around each other. After a few moments, Misty shifted in her bed, and brought the conversation back.

"How old are you, Dawn?" she asked, twisting to face the bluenette.

"Sixteen."

"Oh, right," Misty said, lying back and putting her hands behind her head. "Are you in love?"

"Huh? What kind of question is that?" Dawn asked, narrowing her eyes at the redhead. Misty shrugged in reply. "Well, your answer is no. I'm not. Are you?"

"No. Are you, May?"

May shrunk back as if she was frightened of the question. "I don't know... I wouldn't call it love."

"I'd ask Serena, but I think she's asleep," Dawn said, suddenly growing quieter. Serena could have moved and let them know she was awake, but she didn't want to face that question, because she wasn't sure if she knew what love was or not.

"Did she really get a note from Ash?" May asked in an even quieter tone, and Serena tensed up. She didn't like them talking about her and the note.

"Yes, she showed me it..." Dawn said, recalling the day she received the call. "It was his handwriting for sure, unchanged for three years."

"I'm so relieved..." Misty sighed, and May smiled. "I thought he was... dead. I want to see him..."

"Me too," Dawn said, almost defensively. Serena wondered why Dawn took that tone when Ash's name was mentioned.

"Somebody told me that he fell in love with Diantha but didn't think it was very appropriate, so he went away and lives with her," Misty said.

"What?" Dawn snapped. "Don't be ridiculous. Ash wouldn't do that."

"I've known him for longer than you, so I think I would know, not you," Misty snorted, and Dawn angrily sat up.

"If you think he would do that, then you clearly don't know him at all! Ash was my best friend, the bestest friend ever, and we were super close!"

"Whoa, no need to shout," Misty said, raising her hands. "But, Ash was my best friend too. He practically clung to me like a leech, and we had a bond bigger than the bond he had with any of you."

"What? No, I-"

"Whatever," May called loudly, shoving a pillow over her head. "Go to sleep. I'm tired and this is stupid."

"Right... Sorry, May," Dawn apologized and lay back down. Misty stayed silent as she lay. Neither of them could sleep right away. For some reason, unknown to them both, they felt hatred for each other.

_Why did I get so defensive? Does it even matter if Ash liked me better or not? He was still my friend... But I know he must have liked me better than her..._

Serena rolled over. _Something is going on here, and I don't like it..._

After a while they all managed to find sleep, and woke up at almost the same time the next day. May woke first, and stared at the girls around her. She knew something was going to happen, but she wasn't entirely sure what.

"Morning," Dawn said as she rose and stretched. May jumped a little and turned to face her friend.

"Good morning..."

Dawn yawned and got out of bed. Serena copied her moments later without saying a word to either of them. Misty stayed asleep. May herself rose and waited until Dawn left to go into the bathroom and get ready.

"Morning, Serena," Dawn greeted when she emerged from the bathroom, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Serena almost didn't reply at all, then realised that would be rude.

"Um, morning," she tried.

"You should put that blue dress back on, it looks lovely on you," her friend complimented, then left the room. Serena sat quietly on the edge of her bed until May emerged quietly and exited the room too. The day seemed as if it was going to be boring, and she wasn't sure if she liked these new girls or not.

Outside, Dawn ran down to the elevator and took it down to the first floor before May had a chance to catch up with her. The sun was shining almost as brightly as it had been the day before, letting her know that it'd be another hot day. She skipped out of the big doors and looked out across the huge lawn at the massive amount of people that had somehow gotten up before her. She walked over to the drinks stand.

"Well, hello there."

Dawn shuddered at the voice that came from behind. "What do you want?"

Drew took a step forward to walk beside her. He flashed her a toothy smile and she rolled her eyes. He pushed his hair back across his head and sniffed.

"I have some news for you, if you would like to hear it," he answered. They walked beside each other in silence for a few seconds. People stared.

"Okay, I'll listen," Dawn said. They reached the stand and she reached out to take a drink. She waited for a moment, expecting Drew to get one too. He stayed still and stared down at her until she felt uncomfortable and started walking away.

"Follow me, and I'll tell you," Drew said, taking her hand before she could get far enough away. She stared up at him with large eyes but followed reluctantly. He dragged her behind him into the far corner of the gardens, where nobody else was. She worried a little, because she hardly knew Drew at all. Still she let him take her, until they reached a dark part of the garden, beautifully covered over with an orchard of trees. There was a hedge all around, letting them know that they'd reached the end of the garden. He took her to a circle that had been cut into the edge, almost like a small clearing in woods. At the back was a swinging bench.

"Sit down," he said lightly, not demanding at all. Dawn did as she was asked and sat with her legs crossed on the bench. Drew sat down next to her, too close for comfort. Dawn was starting to wonder what was going on.

"Why did you bring me here?" Dawn asked, glancing sideways at the boy. He shushed her. She opened her mouth to argue, but he stopped her. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"Don't say anything, just go along with it," he said, and Dawn sat frozen on the spot with burning cheeks. Drew leaned in again and kissed her neck, making her shudder violently. She couldn't move.

"W-What's going on?" Dawn asked quietly, and Drew stopped for a moment to look up at her. Her breathing was getting heavier, because she was both scared and excited. He glanced to the side for a moment, then leaned in closer to whisper in her ear.

"Ash is here."

Dawn's heart stopped for what seemed to be minutes. Drew watched as her face broke into a elated grin and she rubbed her wide eyes a little. She turned to face Drew, and in that moment he seized the chance and pulled her in for a kiss. She resisted for a moment, attempting to pull back, but he took hold of her arm and gently squeezed. Somehow, she knew he was up to something, and gave in, letting him kiss her.

He pulled away slightly, and she could feel his breath on her face. "I knew that would do it."

"What?" she whispered, narrowing her eyebrows. Drew pulled away a little bit more, but continued to stare at her lovingly.

"I knew if I brought you here and did this, he'd come. He's watching, so don't make any sudden movements. I don't know why, but he keeps running away from me."

"H-He's watching?" Dawn asked, her heart racing with excitement. Drew nodded slowly. Despite his warnings, Dawn couldn't help it. Her head twisted to face the opening they'd come in from, and she caught sight of something, before it slid away into the bushes.

She trembled. It was him.

Leaping to her feet, she scrambled away and sprinted out into the orchard. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him, slipping into another section of the garden. She ran for her life, skidding across the ground he'd just walked on, and bounded around the corner.

"Ash!"

She'd been too fast for him. He stood quite far from her, facing away, but stopped. She stood panting at the entrance, her heart racing and her eyes wide. Slowly she started to walk over, not wanting him to run again. He stayed facing away from her, so she couldn't see his face. Soon she was right next to him, and she reached her arm out. Gingerly she placed her hand on his arm, and felt him tense up.

"Ash," she whispered, "is it really you?"

Ash pulled his arm away lightly and without warning, turned to face her. She took in the image before her. It was Ash. He'd gotten taller, but his hair and eyes hadn't changed much at all. He looked older now, and much better than he ever had before. Dawn's lips started to tremble, and tears pricked up in her eyes. He lowered his eyes.

"Hey, Dawn," he said in a deeper voice, and she burst out into tears, unable to control herself. She covered her eyes with her arm.

"S-Sorry..." she apologized. "I... I just..."

Dawn continued to sob as she felt his strong arms wrap around her. She brought her arm down and threw her arms around him too, pulling him as close as she could. She rested her forehead on his shoulder and gave the happiest smile she'd ever given in her life.

"I missed you, Dawn," he muttered, and she pulled him even tighter. When she pulled away she looked up into his eyes and smiled as wide as she could. It took a moment, but he managed to give her a lopsided smile too.

"I missed you too," she replied, sighing happily. "I thought you were dead... Everyone thought you were dead..."

"That was kind of the point," Ash said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Dawn's frown returned.

"What? What do you mean?"

"I can't explain right now, Dawn," Ash answered, shaking his head. Dawn looked upset for a minute. "I'll tell you as soon as I can, I promise... But, you have to promise me that you won't tell anybody else that you saw me here."

Dawn took a cautious step back. "Why? What are you up to?"

"Don't look at me like that, Dawn..." Ash said quietly, looking ashamed. Dawn stayed a step away and didn't ease her harsh gaze. With a sigh, he looked back up at her. "Nobody can know I'm here, okay? Just promise you won't tell anybody?"

"Are you going to disappear again?" Dawn asked, and her voice became a whisper. Ash looked guilty.

"Yes," he muttered, and saw Dawn's face fall, "but I'll still meet you places, if that's what you'd like..."

"I would love that, Ash!" Dawn shouted, throwing her arms around him again. In her head, some nasty thoughts intruded.

_At least I'll have him all to myself, and nobody else will know about it... He's my best friend... Mine._

"Dawn, you better go," he said, and pushed her gently away. Dawn let out a sad sigh. "I bet Drew is waiting for you, anyway..."

"Shit," Dawn muttered without thinking and covered her mouth. "No! I didn't know what was going on and he used me to lure you out! It's not like that, I swear!" Her face was crimson red now and she held up her hands and stuttered.

"I... I just happened to be in the area and saw you. It's... It's not like I was watching or anything, because I wouldn't do that..." Ash stuttered too, turning away. Nervously, Dawn bit her lip.

"Um, okay, I'll... I'll see you later?"

"Y-yeah, sure. See you later," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head. After an awkward moment, Dawn turned and walked swiftly away. When she reached the orchard again, Drew was gone. She stopped for a moment to calm herself down.

_What the hell is wrong with me? That was so awkward... I don't understand... It was never like that when we travelled together... W-what's happening?_

With a million questions circling her mind, Dawn started to walk slowly back towards the fountain.

Meanwhile, back at the room, Serena lay on her back. She held out her arms above her, with the note in her hands. She read it over and over again, thinking about the fact that Ash was actually alive. She switched the note for something she'd hid behind it; a photo of her and Ash together.

_I wonder what he looks like now..._

A bang brought her back to reality and she scrambled to put the picture and her hands behind her back as she watched the door swing open.

"What are you doing? What's that behind your back?" Misty demanded, stepping into the room and leaving the door open. Serena backed up as Misty got closer.

"None of your business!" she spat, and Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, what are you hiding from us? Spill it!"

"No!"

Misty almost pounced on her, when a shadow appeared over the two of them, and she turned to see what was blocking the light from outside. Paul stood leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. Misty crossed her arms too, mimicking him.

"She said it was none of your business, so leave her alone," Paul said dully, and Serena blinked in confusion.

"Well, this has nothing to do with you," Misty said, glaring at him. The tension between them was obvious, but confusing to Serena. There might have been something else there too.

"Oh, I'd say it does. I suggest you just leave her alone," he replied, pushing away from the door frame. Serena got ready to break up a fight, but Misty dropped her arms and walked over to her bed. Paul stepped away from the door and walked away. Serena found herself looking between Misty and the door and wondering what had just happened.

"I know what you were looking at," Misty muttered from the top bunk. Serena shifted awkwardly. "It was the note, wasn't it? Tell me what's going on."

"I... I just miss him," Serena half lied. Misty sighed deliberately loudly.

"No, it's more than that. You totally CRUSHED on him, didn't you!?"

"What!? I- I didn't!" Serena shouted, and Misty laughed.

"You still do! You _fancy _him! Ha!"

"Do not!" Serena cried loudly, getting frustrated with Misty. Her cheeks started to burn.

"You do! Just admit it!"

"I don't! You do, don't you!?" Serena shouted back and sat up quickly. Misty scrambled up too and glared down at the girl.

"When he comes back, I'm going to _steal _him away from you!" Misty hissed, and Serena's jaw dropped.

"You wouldn't..."

"Oh, I would," Misty said, jumping down off the top bunk and heading towards the bathroom. Serena stood.

"Well, you're not going to get the chance, because I do like him, and he's going to choose me!"

"Oh yeah? Think again! Why would he choose you over me!? You're just an old hag."

Serena was driven crazy. With a hiss she launched forward and jumped on the redhead. Misty fell back onto the floor with a cry as Serena's weight fell onto her. Her reflexes kicked in and she attempted to force the girl off, but Serena held on tight. Misty's hair came undone and she grabbed Serena's and started to pull. Both girls were screaming with anger.

They rolled over a few times, trying to get on top, and Misty felt a hatred so strong, she wanted to kill the girl. She almost reached out to hit her again, when she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist and begin to pull her off. She hissed and tried to pull away from whoever it was. Serena was trying to get up to grab Misty again, but Dawn stepped between them and started saying something to her.

Misty was set down on her feet and turned to face Paul, who looked all but impressed. She sighed, and he shook his head.

"What the hell was going on? This is totally not like you at all, Serena!" Dawn was shouting, as Serena stood up and brushed herself off. Misty's lips trembled with rage.

"She started it. She just won't leave me alone," Serena muttered, brushing her hands across her dress and wiping her mouth.

"I don't care," Dawn said, shaking her head. "Just don't do it again. I want us all to get along, please..."

"Fine, sorry..." Serena muttered quietly, genuinely looking ashamed. Misty stayed quiet as Paul still held her tight. She still wanted to jump on Serena. Paul knew that if he let go, she'd pounce.

"Why were you arguing anyway?" Dawn asked, looking between the two of them. Paul turned Misty around to face Dawn and pressed her back against his chest as he smirked. Misty shuddered uncomfortably and snarled.

"It doesn't matter, it was stupid," Serena answered, and started to walk towards the door.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Dawn called. Serena shook her head and left the room quietly. Once she was out, Misty violently shoved herself away from Paul, and Dawn frowned.

"Thanks for the help, Paul."

"My pleasure," Paul said with a grin aimed at Misty. She gave him a look of utter disgust and he smiled and followed Serena out of the room. As he shut the door he saw her start to run, and even from where he was, he heard her choked sobs.

Later that evening, May returned to the room too. She looked horrified and disgusted. She entered and looked at Misty sitting back on Serena's bed, reading some sort of Pokémon magazine. Dawn was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Serena.

"Where are they?" May asked, unclasping her bag and setting it down on her dressing table. Misty lifted a finger and pointed to the bathroom. May made an 'oh' sound before sitting down on the edge of her bed and sighing.

"What's made you so annoyed?" Misty asked without looking up.

"Drew," she said simply, and Misty nodded.

"I thought so."

"How'd you know?" May asked, lying back so that her head hung off the other side of her bed. Misty flipped the page, and May knew she wasn't really all that interested in the magazine.

"Because he's all over you and he wants you," Misty spat out, and May laughed.

"Um, no thanks," she said, throwing her arms back. "I can hardly even consider him my friend, he's a massive asshole to me!"

"Still, he likes you," Misty muttered, glancing at her. May sighed.

"How would you know?"

Misty almost answered, but stopped when Dawn stepped out of the bathroom. She looked a little different than usual. Her outfit was more carefully picked. May shuffled up and knelt on her bed, eyeing her friend.

Dawn smiled almost nervously, grabbed her bag, and started to leave.

"Where are you going?" May asked, raising an eyebrow. Dawn coughed very nervously and Misty peered over the top of the magazine with interest.

"Nowhere, just out for a walk," Dawn said calmly.

"We all know that's not true."

"It is true, now let me go," Dawn said, and continued towards the door. Just as she pulled it open, Misty put the magazine down.

"I know, she must be going to see Paul. Look at how she's made herself look pretty for him! She likes him!"

Dawn didn't even argue. She just blushed heavily and slammed the door behind her. Outside she could hear May giggling, but ignored it.

When she got outside, she sighed. It was around eight, and lots of people had gone inside. The only people that were still hanging around were drinking adults and a couple of people kissing by the fountain. She set off down the stairs. If she'd not been lost in her dream world, she would have noticed the blonde girl standing beside them, watching her. Dawn started to hum to herself happily as Serena started to follow.

The bluenette turned towards the gardens, and Serena quietly stalked behind. She knew it wasn't good to spy, but she knew something was up. She'd returned and broken up the fight earlier looking flushed and confused. She'd disappeared for 20 minutes an hour later, and returned the same way. Now she was sneaking out at night. She was obviously seeing somebody, and Serena wanted to know who.

Dawn kept walking until they reached the orchard, then stopped. Serena hung around cautiously behind a hedge, but looked out across the field of trees. She didn't see anybody. Then, she spotted a darker figure with his back turned to them, quite a few feet away from Dawn. He was wearing a long, dark coat which made him look very mysterious.

Dawn put her hands behind her back and called to him happily. Serena stared widely as she approached him and he turned.

_WHAT._

Ash turned to Dawn and smiled. Serena was stunned, frozen. She didn't know what to do. Dawn stood before him now, and they started to talk quietly. Serena's jaw dropped.

_Oh God, it's him... I didn't expect it to be him... Oh my God... It's really him..._

Dawn and Ash started to walk right in her direction, and she pressed up against the hedge nervously. Her face turned red. She tried to control her breathing as they got closer and she started to hear what they were saying.

"Thanks for coming, Ash," Dawn was saying, and they were getting closer. If she didn't move, they'd see her for sure.

"Are you sure nobody saw you coming here?" Ash asked her, and Serena closed her eyes.

"I'm sure-" Dawn started, but Serena couldn't hide. As they almost reached the hedge she was behind, she took a deep breath and stepped out. Both of them froze. It took a moment before Dawn could bring her hand up and press her palm against her head. Ash opened his mouth and closed it again.

"W-what..." Serena mumbled. She examined Ash's face, and he watched her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but his mouth set into a straight line and his eyes looked sad.

"Did you follow me here, Serena?" Dawn asked, though the answer was obvious. Serena nodded but never took her eyes off Ash. Their eyes met and they stared at each other in a way that made it seem as if they were communicating. It was building up a tension that made Serena want to throw her arms around him.

"Serena, I'm so sorry..."

"Shush..." she whispered and smiled. They never broke the eye contact. "I'm so happy to see you..."

"Y-yeah, me too..." Ash muttered, and they fell silent again. Dawn took a step back and raised an eyebrow at the two. For some reason unknown to her, she was jealous. She was disappointed too. She had wanted to keep Ash all to herself for a while...

"You've got a lot of explaining to do," Serena turned serious suddenly, and Ash sighed.

"I know. I know you must be angry at me," he said, and Serena crossed her arms. "I promise I'll tell you everything, but not now. I think the two of you should return to your room."

"Why, Ash?" Dawn asked, taking hold of his arm. He seemed uncomfortable. "You've only just got here. You said you'd talk to me."

"Okay," Ash said, looking away, "I'll talk to you tomorrow. Both of you. I promise."

"Sure, okay..." Dawn muttered, looking disappointed. She left Ash's side and walked over to stand beside Serena. The blonde girl looked at Ash once more, and Dawn caught her eyes. They revealed a lot that Dawn didn't quite understand yet.

"See you tomorrow," he said, turning away and raising a hand.

"You better come," Dawn said as loud as she dared, then the two of them turned to walk back to their room.

At the main doors, Drew stood waiting. Neither of them paid him much attention as he skipped over to join them. The guy seemed to be hovering everywhere.

"Something you need, Drew?" Dawn asked him as they climbed the stairs, and he jumped in front of them, making them stop. She rolled her eyes.

"You've both just been to see Ash, right?" he asked, examining their eyes. He watched as their expression changed and knew what was going on.

"Yes, what's it to you?" Dawn asked in an annoyed tone. She pushed past him and Serena nervously followed.

"You have no idea what's going to happen, do you?" he asked, and Serena stopped to face him. Dawn kept walking and left them behind out in the chilly night. Serena shuddered.

"What do you mean?"

Drew chuckled without humour and leaned against the wall coolly. "People do some stupid stuff when they're after somebody."

"I don't know what you mean still..."

"I'm saying you're all going to be fighting over Ash," Drew muttered with a sigh, and Serena raised an eyebrow.

"What? How do you know? I wouldn't fight over Ash..."

"Maybe you wouldn't now, but we have another two weeks until this festival is over. You girls will be tearing each other's hair out!" Drew started to cackle as he walked past Serena and left her standing confused.

_Whatever. He doesn't know what he's talking about. May and Dawn don't like Ash. Though, I know Misty must like him... Do I?_

Serena shook herself free of the thoughts and headed back inside where it was warm. She made her way slowly to the room, where she stopped at the door and hesitated for a moment. She didn't want to see Misty again, especially after Drew gave her that warning.

She pushed the door open before she could stop herself and stepped inside. She was greeted with the image of May shouting wildly at Misty, and Dawn trying to hit both of them with a pillow. She stood at the open door and her jaw dropped.

_So he did know what he was talking about... Oh no..._

Suddenly he was behind her, and he laughed again. She jumped and turned to face him.

"Told you!" he said, and she hissed before shutting the door on him, which caught the attention of her three room-mates. Serena walked into the room properly and they stopped attacking each other.

"Pack it in," Serena said sternly, which none of them were used to. "Go to bed. Now."

Misty put her hands on her hips and gave a proud smile before muttering, "This is war."

* * *

**Please do review saying which ships you would like to see more of in the next chapter! **


	3. A Kind of Dark Secret

**I'm really sorry this took so long to come! I've been to busy to do any writing lately, but I've somehow managed to get this chapter written up. I'll try to get the next one up quicker. **

**Anyway, this is how it will work: The poll will decide the final ship. If you review with the name of a ship, the one mentioned most will be the one I focus on in the next chapter. Seems fair, doesn't it? Towards the end I'll focus on the final ship, though. **

* * *

The birds chirped quietly outside as the car rolled soundlessly onto the gravelled drive by the overly large doors. May still wondered how Misty could ever afford such a car, but she didn't want to ask. Dawn didn't even wonder, because she cared little for Misty. Since the fight two days ago, none of them had really spoken properly, except Dawn and Serena. Nobody had confirmed what the fight had been about, but they were all thinking it. They just didn't know if it was true or not.

"You're a slow driver," May commented quietly as she pressed her palm on the handle and exited. Dawn copied her without saying a word, but Misty sat still, like she was planning to stay in the car. Serena waited for a moment for her to move. When she sat as stiff as a post, Serena decided to leave.

"She really is," Dawn added as they walked in a line towards the door, leaving Misty in the car. May turned back to see what she was doing before they disappeared back into their own warm room, but Misty wasn't doing anything. She just looked distressed. Telling herself not to worry, May turned back and followed them up to the elevator.

Serena stayed unnaturally quiet, listening to the patter of her friends footsteps on the ever clean carpet. She hung some behind, watching her own feet step in front of each other. She was lost in thoughts of Ash. She'd seen him last night, but he still wouldn't tell her why he had to hide. It was niggling at her, and the fact that he had to hide it from her was unsettling.

"If only I could get inside his head," Serena spoke aloud, making May turn around. She tilted her head slightly and Serena blushed. She was going to ask, but decided not to, and just continued walking until they reached the room.

"Actually, I don't feel like just sitting around," Dawn said suddenly, and turned back around. May watched Serena, who was staring at the disappearing girl. Her eyes were so full of sadness that May thought her heart really must be breaking, though nothing sad was happening, right?

Serena's lip trembled, and she turned to the door in disgust, pushing it open and bursting in. May held out her hand but she dodged it, and walked straight over to the bathroom to lock herself in. Outside, rain had started to pour, and battered the window heavily. May hovered around for a moment, staring outside, where grey clouds were making it darker than it should have been. She sighed and sat back on her bed, suddenly wishing she was home. She'd spent two years alone, wishing she could get out, and now all she wanted was to be alone again.

She heard a choked sob from the bathroom and stared at the door, wishing there was something she could do. With shaking hands she reached out and knocked gently on the door. No response.

"Serena?"

Serena backed up against the wall, unable to answer. The tears were coming too quickly for her to form words.

May's wrist slowly fell as she gave up. With a small sigh she turned to the window and pushed the curtains further away so she could look out across the garden. Down below, nobody. Everybody had gone inside as the rain came out. Though, no... There was somebody. May spotted them down by the fountain. An umbrella, covering a face, but her black shoes showed, and revealed that it was Dawn. She narrowed her eyes, suddenly suspicious. Silently, with her gaze fixed on Dawn, she watched.

Another figured appeared, looking reluctant. May gulped and her face scrunched in confusion. The clock outside donged, letting her know that it was six. There was a moment of stillness before they walked away together. May felt trapped in the room. She could never reach the two of them in time, yet she was aching for the person with her. There were so many possibilities, but only one made any sense. Feeling completely useless, she backed away, and put a hand to her head.

"Feels horrible, doesn't it?" Serena appeared at the bathroom door, her eyes dark with smudges and her eyes red from crying. May's whole face was trembling as she looked up and said nothing. She didn't know what to say.

"Is this real?" she managed to mumble. Serena sniffed and looked out of the window, right at the two of them, walking off together. She nodded, and that was all May needed. She knew that this couldn't happen.

Serena was leaving now, heading somewhere. May sat on the floor and leaned against her bed. It was hard to accept everything that was going on. She didn't understand the feelings she was getting. If she couldn't understand, she couldn't deal with them. She raised, walked over to the window, and took one more glance out. They were gone.

"If you're out there, I'll find you."

"Who are you talking to?" Misty asked, and May jumped slightly. She turned to her, hoping her eyes weren't red, and wouldn't give anything away. Misty didn't seem concerned, but rather annoyed. May wasn't in the mood for an argument with her.

"Myself."

"That means you're crazy," Misty said dimly as she picked around in the drawers beside her bed. May watched with her fist clasped to her chest.

"Fine with me."

Misty looked at her as if she was stupid, and met her eyes. Then her face seemed to soften, and May knew she'd noticed. She turned away and sighed at the wall, wanting to explode with tears. Misty was silent now too, and May waited for her to make a sound; any kind of sound would do. She didn't.

"What are you so upset about?" she asked, and May's face twisted. She couldn't tell Misty, but if she didn't, it would be cruel too.

"Nothing," May answered unconvincingly. Misty shrugged and turned away again. For a moment, May was annoyed. Then she decided that she didn't care, and she was relieved.

"What are you going to do now?" May asked Misty, hoping she was going to leave. Misty picked a Pokeball from her drawers and tossed it up, quickly catching it. May raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to practice. That alright with you?" she answered sarcastically, and May huffed. She collected the rest of the Pokeballs and headed for the door. May said nothing, but lay back on her bed, wanting to escape her feelings. After curling up and sniffing for a few minutes, she drifted off to sleep, and a dream came to her.

"_Are you ready?" his voice drifted across to her, and she saw Ash. She recognised the building around her, and some of the people in the crowd. Looking to her right she saw Max, a teenager without his glasses. She saw Brock too, looking older now than ever before, perhaps in his early 20's. To her left was him, Ash. He was handsome, just like he had always been, but even more so now. Her heart raced._

_In front of them was the Terracotta ribbon, the one she'd always kept half of with her. Except now it was whole, and about to be cut. A grin covered her face and she nodded happily at him. He smiled back at her, and prepared to cut it._

_He almost got to ask his Pokémon to do it, when suddenly, the ground began to cave in. May didn't react like she usually would. The only feeling she had was confusion. She was sinking further down, and Ash leaned over the edge. The hole she was in was getting deeper, but he held out his hand. Seeing no other option, May took his hand and he started to pull her out. She was dangling now, both hands clasped in his. He bent down next to her, and stopped pulling. Her eyes grew wide._

"_Bye bye, May," he whispered in a deep tone, and let go of her hands. Her heart collapsed. He was abandoning her. She fell._

And woke up with a start. Sweat pooled on her forehead and she reached up to wipe it away. Her breathing was ragged. It was just a dream.

The curtains had been shut again, and all around her, her friends slept. Misty's light snoring made sure there was no silence. The digital clock by her bed told May that it was 11, and she'd slept for quite a few hours. She sighed and sat up. She couldn't possibly sleep again so soon after waking up. She was quite awake now anyway, with the shock of the dream still affecting her.

She moved her legs to dangle them over the side of the bed. She reached out and grabbed her bandanna, which had shuffled of her head sometime during the night. She held it in her hands for a moment, then decided to tie her hair back with it instead. Looking in the mirror, the moon revealed that the look suited her, and she kept it like that.

Outside the rain had stopped. She grabbed a jacket from the wooden chair by the door and quietly left. There was nobody in the corridor, and only a single light remained on. She stuck her hands in the jacket pockets and trudged down to the elevator. She got that nightly feeling, and it made her relax. Everything was completely silent and still as she took the elevator to the first floor. The lady at the reception desk was flat out, using her arm as a pillow. May walked to stand beside her.

"Hello?" she said quietly. No answer. With light hands she reached out and touched the mouse. In the search bar she typed the word 'Ash' silently, and watched as the computer displayed 'no results'.

Her eyes dropped and she stood for a moment, wondering what to do. She knew he had to be here somewhere, and she wanted to see him too much. She wouldn't be able to sleep until she found him.

So she faced the big doors, and headed to them.

Her hands were immediately cold, and her cheeks grew red. There was no wind, but May wished there was. Everything was far too still for her to be comfortable. Something troubled her, but she wasn't sure what. Ignoring the chills, she headed around the side of the large mansion, towards the woods at the back.

"Ash?" she spoke quietly. Something moved behind her, and she whirled around. There was nothing there. She was starting to regret deciding to come out, but she knew she couldn't turn back now. She was going to find him, even if it took her into the next day to do it.

The ground started to move beneath her, and she realised that the rain had made everything boggy. She grimaced as her foot got stuck in part of it. She took out her mobile phone, and used the flashlight on it. It illuminated a fair distance in front of her. She pulled her foot slowly out and paced carefully across the grass towards the start of the trees.

Suddenly, a weight seemed to press against her shoulders. She wanted to fall down and curl up on the dirty grass, to just let herself go. Raising droopy eyes she noticed the faint power floating by, glimmering orange. Sleep powder. Where was that coming from?

She knew she had to get out of it, or she'd collapse onto her knees. She pulled her feet out of the bog she was slowly sinking into again and quickened her pace, forgetting to worry about the source of the sleep powder itself. She kept her eyes to the ground, making sure to step carefully. Her mind started to wander, and she wondered why she was out in the middle of the night. Goosebumps ran up her arm from the cold and the sense that someone was constantly standing behind her, waiting for her to make a mistake so they could pounce.

Suddenly, everything was clouded over with a shadow and May found her eyes subconsciously straying up to the sky. Trees stood before her and towered over everything. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she got a feeling. Something begging her to go in, though there was no path or road to follow. That thought didn't cross her mind in time, and she passed over the gnarled, aged roots of that first tree. The moonlight could hardly filter through all the branches, and so it was almost impossible to see. Whatever this feeling was possessed her to carry on. A few steps in she lay her foot on a branch. The snapping echoed around the silence and bounced from every tree. She froze for a moment when she realized that the following echo was not made by her.

She waited.

The sound came again, and a shiver ran through her entire body. It came a third time, and it was closer. Her head snapped backwards, but nothing was there, apparently. She turned her head once more and started to run.

She instantly heard the mimicking footsteps of her follower behind her. It seemed as if they were just centimetres from her. She could almost feel their breath on her back and the wind as they rushed after her. She sped up again, leaping over fallen branches and roots. A gap caught her off guard and she slipped down, landing on her back. The air was knocked out of her for a moment, but she managed to hear the follower skid to a halt above her. She scrambled to her feet just as something whizzed past her head, just missing it. Her eyes were so wide, and her breathing was so heavy, anyone would have thought she'd seen a ghost. Perhaps she had.

Then came the rain. It was so heavy and so sudden that May's drifting mind thought it couldn't have been a coincidence. She didn't slow. Her heart pounded so hard against her ribs that she could hear it in her ears and she though that if she were to stop, she'd lose her life. If this person behind her meant no harm, they would have said it by now. They were not a nice person that she wanted to run into, she guessed.

She nearly failed to notice the next drop in front of her. She couldn't hear the footsteps behind her anymore, but she didn't want to stop. Without a second though she plunged into the darkness, and landed in a river. The impact caught her off guard and she scrabbled up to the surface, gasping for air. She flung her arms forward, trying to start herself off. The current was pushing her down slowly, and she frantically kicked her legs. When that didn't work, she clung onto a rock and forced herself upwards. Her whole body was freezing and in pain, so she struggled to move her limbs altogether. With tears streaming down her face she cried out and forced herself up onto the rock. She whirled around to check if she could see anybody- she couldn't. Slightly relieved, she sighed.

With pain, she jumped back into the river, as far from the rock as she could. She was in shallower water now, and her feet landed on the rocks at the bottom. She felt the life knocked out of her and fell onto her knees. Unable to stand, she forced herself to crawl out, coughing and crying. With a gasp she collapsed onto the bank and tried to lift herself up. Her vision was blurry now, and her head span. It was so hard to focus, she clenched her eyes shut.

"Dawn..." she whispered quietly, as if anybody would hear. She dropped her hand and gave up. She couldn't move. She thought that she was going to die. She lay and waited for it to come.

But it didn't.

She felt something soft brush against her arm. Her eyes fluttered lightly open, but her vision was still impaired, and only blurs came to her. She gave a soft grunt and stirred. All she could see was the bank.

Then, someone stepped in front of her. Someone tall, a man. Her heart stopped. She was most certainly done for. He'd found her.

She whimpered as he slid his hands under her and lifted her. Her body slumped against him and she curled up against his chest instinctively, wanting his warmth. She felt his heart pounding almost as fast as hers, and wondered why. She reached out a weak arm and felt his chest. Her vision was slowly returning to her, and now he was taking her somewhere. She looked up. She gave a start and pushed away.

Feeling her resistance he looked down, and his expression was angry. She froze and started to tremble. Her mind wasn't working properly yet. He pressed her closer to her chest, but she couldn't move. After a few moments, she drifted off to sleep, and didn't wake until hours later, to much different scenery.

"Is she awake?" she could hear Drew ask quietly, but she didn't hear the answer. Her face twisted and she flexed her arms.

"Yes, I am," she muttered, and opened her eyes. Drew was standing over her, and she pulled a face at him. His eyes were red. When she made eye contact with him, his entire face softened, and he sighed happily. May just blinked.

"Thank God," he said and reached out, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her up from her position. She let herself wrap her arms around him too, because she was so glad she was safe.

"I thought I was going to die," she whispered to his back, and he tightened his hold on her. She knew she was safe now.

He pushed away from her, but kept his hands on her arms. "I didn't know what to think."

It was then that a stressful-looking Dawn burst into the room and hurried over to her side, pushing Drew away so she could hug her friend. Drew's look of disapproval was ignored as May flung herself at Dawn and grinned widely.

"I'm so glad you're okay!"

"What happened anyway?" May enquired, rubbing her head gingerly. Dawn gulped and looked over at Drew, then May knew something wasn't right.

"We don't know... Someone dropped you off at the reception and left right away. They don't know who it was. Did you go running off there alone at night, May? Why?"

"I didn't mean to," May quickly explained, "I just wanted to go for a walk, but then someone was chasing me... I saw them. It was a man."

"We know," Dawn said, and May shot her a confused look. "I know exactly what happened, and everything. You obviously don't remember all of it."

"What?"

"I was... talking to the person that brought you here. He was nearby you the whole time, but he couldn't catch up. You were running, then you had a knife. You cut the man's arm and dropped the knife. He threw it at you and it just missed you, then you fell, and then jumped into a river. As you did, the person that found you fought the other man and he ran away. Then he found you and brought you here," Dawn explained. May was still confused.

"You... you know who it was? Who was it?"

Dawn looked like she didn't want to say, and that scared May. Was it someone it shouldn't have been? Was it someone they knew?

"It was... Ash."

May coughed.

"What!?" she cried. "Don't mess around Dawn!"

"I'm not messing around."

May stopped for a moment, several emotions crossed her face at once, then stopped at a confusing one; one Dawn couldn't figure out. Several moments of silence passed before she started to violently sob. Drew almost flew in to comfort her, when he noticed that she was smiling.

"He's here..." she muttered weakly in-between cries. The tears fell quickly down onto her legs, and she shook terribly with them. She couldn't stop.

"Yes, May," Dawn said with a smile, "he's here."

"I'm so happy!" May cried, trying to rub her eyes clear. It was no use.

"I can tell!" Dawn laughed and pulled her friend back into the hug. May cried against her chest happily, and Drew slowly left the room.

"Why didn't he stay?" May asked suddenly. "I have to thank him..."

"I think he was really tired, and worn out from carrying you too," Dawn answered, trying to convince her. May remembered her blurry vision fixing on Ash and being pressed against his chest, and his warmth. She blushed slightly.

"Where is he staying?"

"I have no idea, but apparently not in any of the rooms here."

"He must be in the Pokemon centre then," May said, and stood. A wave of pain hit her and she winced. Dawn rushed up and let May rest on her.

"Don't strain yourself, you just woke up."

"I'm fine," May insisted, and balanced herself. Dawn watched her limp for a few steps, then return to normal. She smiled.

"Misty doesn't know about Ash yet," she blurted out, then May turned to face her with furrowed eyebrows.

"How long have you known?"

Dawn looked guilty, and May already guessed at the answer. "A couple of days."

"And you let me go on believing he wasn't? Why would you?" May asked, her voice raising slightly. Dawn shrank back a little, not wanting to fight. She could tell May was angry though, and she had no real excuse.

"I'm sorry, May..."

"You... you don't even have a reason? Does Serena know too?"

"Yeah."

May shook her head and turned to storm out. Dawn considered running after her, but stopped. There was no point, there was nothing she could say to make what she did okay. She didn't blame her for being mad.

The brunette was walking to anywhere. She planned on heading down to the battlefield to check it out, since she had nothing better to do. She made it to the elevator, then the doors opened and Serena faced her.

The look they exchanged explained everything to each other, and Serena didn't move. Neither did May. The door started to close, and May held out her arm to stop it.

"You should have just told me," she muttered sadly, dropping her gaze. Serena shuffled awkwardly.

"It might not make it any better, but Dawn wasn't planning on telling me either. I found out by myself."

May's face softened slightly. She sighed and shook her head, then stepped into the elevator. Serena almost left, when May stopped her with a cough.

"Are you in love with him?"

"What? Why?"

"So you are then."

"I didn't say that."

"You practically admitted it there."

Serena stopped speaking. The girl standing beside her was determined to get a truthful answer, but she would not openly admit it. Why did May need her to say it anyway? She obviously already knew it was true. May had a certain tone to her voice that could make just about anyone reveal their deepest secrets, which could be a terrible thing is some situations. She usually kept it to herself. This time she needed to know.

"Right, well..." Serena muttered awkwardly after a moment of standing. May sighed and glanced down at the elevator carpet, showing she wasn't interested. Without another word, Serena stepped out and left.

The door started to shut as she did. She stood still for a moment and turned to watch the doors close between her and the girl. She wondered what this all meant. She really wondered what was going to happen next. The festival started in just a few days. Would Ash be competing? Serena both hoped that he was and he wasn't. She wouldn't want to battle him.

After a moment she realized she must have looked pretty silly just standing there, and moved on back to the room, where a low Dawn would be sitting waiting, and she would not even get a greeting.

The urge May felt was huge. All she wanted was to see Ash. She wanted to hear his voice. In her chest she felt the excitement rising, until she felt physically sick. After two years, how much had her best friend changed?

If he was not staying in the grounds, he must have been staying in the Pokémon centre, she figured. So, May decided to head there first, and ask around for him. She might have gotten out and met him, if she hadn't been met by a closed gate and a hooded man. Her eyebrow arched in suspicion.

"What's going on here?" she asked as she approached the end of the drive. Nobody else was there, and she wondered why nobody else was questioning this man. He stood defensively by the controls to the gates, just in case this innocent looking girl tried anything.

"The gates are closed, and are to be opened for nobody," the man replied. He really sounded as if he thought that answer would do, and May looked disappointed. She reached for a pokeball and kept it under her hand, just to be ready.

"Why would the gates be closed? Why are we not allowed to leave?"

"I can't hand that kind of information out to anybody, especially not kids," he said in a snobby tone, which May scoffed at.

"Kids? Well, that's okay then, because I'm not a kid."

"You look like a kid to me, now scram. Go play with your friends or something."

"My friend is outside of these grounds, now why won't you let me out?"

"Your friend will be able to come in if they're arriving late and want to join but other than that, this gate will not be opened. Nobody leaves."

"This all sounds a bit fishy to me," she carried on, gripping the pokeball harder. "You won't even let us leave? What kind of festival is this?"

"Look, you're getting on my nerves. I suggest you leave."

"Or what-"

"May!"

May turned around and met the eyes of Drew. He stood by the line of trees, frantically waving with a stupid grin plastered on his face. May rolled her eyes, but was secretly a little glad to see him. The man crossed his arms and gestured for her to leave.

"Look, there's your friend. Go away."

May was ready to argue, but something died down and she turned to walk away. Soon she was by Drew's side, and he was edging closer to her as they walked. For a moment he didn't say anything, and she wondered if he was upset. After studying his face, she decided he looked happy.

"What were you doing back there?" Drew asked; the question she had been waiting for.

"They've locked the gate and nobody is allowed to leave. Doesn't that sound a bit dodgy to you?"

"You're serious?" Drew asked, facing her as they walked. Concern spread across his features and May simply nodded in response. His face screwed up as he tried to conjure up some sort of explanation.

"Also... I swear somebody was chasing me last night, Drew. Normal people don't chase you like that. Even if they were just trying to scare me... they took it way too far. I'm kind of getting worried. I think something is going on here."

"I think you're just paranoid," Drew answered with a cute, lopsided smile. May was reassured for a moment, then remember that he hadn't seen or heard what she had. She swore to herself that she was not just paranoid.

"We'll see," May started as they reached the end of the line of trees, "because the festival starts tomorrow, and I bet you anything something will happen."

"You want a bet, huh?" Drew said with a smirk. May blinked in confusion.

"I wasn't being literal-"

"If nothing happens tomorrow, you have to give me something. Anything I ask for. If something does happen, I'll give you anything you ask for."

"What could I possibly want from you?" May asked in that confused tone she was perfect at. Drew shrugged, and she returned it. He held out his hand and she shook it. Although she felt a little childish, it was nice to have some fun for once.

"Wait, what would you want from me?"

Drew smiled sweetly over at her as they reached the steps of the building again. He was going to go inside, and she was going over to the tables, where she spotted Paul and a few new faces. She paused to hear his answer.

"A kiss."

Without as much as a glance back, Drew glided away and left May standing with a stupid look on her face. She shook her head. _Idiot._

She pushed that thought to the back of her mind as she walked over to Paul, Zoey, and Kenny, then waited patiently for the real fun to begin.

* * *

**Wow, so what does the locked gates and chasing in the middle of the night mean? Maybe it means nothing, or maybe it's an important part of the story. Heh.**

**So, if you want to, review the name of the ship you want the next chapter to focus on. Ship with the most votes wins. To vote for the final ship, go to my profile and it'll be there. I'll get it up as soon as possible!**


	4. Jealousy

**Hello again,**

**I don't really have anything to say this time except sorry it took so long for me to get this done again. I've been so busy with school and other stuff that it's hard to find time to write. Still, here it is! I kind of included all shippings, just to keep everybody happy. As the story progresses it will focus more on certain ships though, I promise. **

* * *

"May, get up!"

May shifted around in her bed, covering her head with a pillow. Everything became darker, and she opened an eye. Dawn towered over her with her hands on her hips. A groan escaped May and Dawn snatched the pillow from her.

"What time is it?" May muttered, turning away. Dawn dropped her arms and glanced at the digital clock beside Misty's empty bed.

"Eight. The festival starts at ten, remember? You wouldn't want to be late."

"Right, don't want to miss any of the action. I hope there'll be plenty, or I'll have to give that idiot a kiss."

Dawn was already walking away, but she turned back to the half asleep girl for a moment. "What was that?"

"Nothing!" May called, and suddenly leaped out. Dawn shook her head with a sigh and left May all alone in the room. In less than half an hour, May was ready. She tied her hair up in a bow and checked herself out once more before deciding to leave too.

In the gardens, people were gathering around, waiting for the start of the festival. Apparently, it would be started with fireworks, and an announcement from the champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia. May wondered why it wouldn't be an announcement from Diantha. Either way, she just had to make sure she was present.

"May," a voice called quietly from a few feet away. Paul stood with Drew. May glanced at them, then at the others looking at her. Dawn, Serena and Misty stood holding glasses, staring. After a look of disgust, May turned away and headed towards the two boys. Drew smirked as she approached, thinking now she liked him more than her friends, and he'd stolen her away.

The three girls stood separately, holding glasses like ladies. They turned away from May, and May turned away from them. She offered Drew a smile, as if she'd been listening to what he was saying. Paul pulled a face and made a sarcastic comment, which May chuckled at. Drew gave her a look off disappointment, which only made her laugh harder. Paul even cracked a smile. May was enjoying herself.

Then, May happened to glance back at the group. All of the girls heads were turned in the same direction, but they all wore very different expressions. One was smiling calmly, and lovingly. One had a face of utter sadness, and want. The other looked purely shocked and as if she was going to throw up. May followed their gaze and met Ash's.

Her heart stopped.

Then it fluttered. She held out her glass and it pressed against Drew's chest. He took it from her without thinking and raised an eyebrow. He almost asked her why she'd given it to him, but when he looked up she was already walking away. Her dress and hair swayed left in the breeze, and her expression was almost blank. Her eyes were wide and her lips slightly parted as she stared straight at him, and pushed through the crowd, ignoring everything but him. Then, she broke free from the crowd, just as someone else did too. She glanced left to see Serena with the same expression on her face. They were so close. She halted and her arms fell limply to her side.

Serena approached Ash and he had a look in his eye that stopped May from going any further. She watched with a shattered face as Serena pulled him towards her and wrapped her arms around his neck. They hugged, and over her shoulder, Ash spotted May. With tears pricking up in her eyes she turned and paced back towards Drew.

"You okay?" he asked when she reappeared. She nodded as she pulled the drink back from his hands and took an overly large sip from it. Paul shook his head slowly. Before Drew could say anything else, someone had come onto the stage. It was the owner of the house. They'd been standing in a strange looking place, surrounded by seats, like a stadium. The roof closed above them, and dim lights provided a small amount of light. They bounced off May's frowning face, and Drew noticed her shining eyes full of tears. He said nothing.

"Good morning!" the man on the stage greeted, and everyone cheered. May's group was abnormally silent, filled with two people feeling bad, and one who just would never cheer. They just stood watching.

"I'm honoured to be hosting this event with you all. We even have our fair share of celebrities with us. A round of applause for..."

The man started to name people. First was Cynthia, and a spotlight shone down on her. She smiled, gave a small speech, and waved. Then there was Wallace, Lance, Misty, Dawn, then May. When the spotlight hit her, she forced up a smile, and she was surprised by the amount of cheers she received. For a moment, the fake smile turned real. When the spotlight disappeared again, it was wiped from her face. Lastly, it went to Ash. He stood near the front with his arm around Serena. A screen above them all broadcasted it. It was on live television. May felt sick. She felt Drew's hand brush against hers, and she looked at him. He didn't look back at her.

"I wish you all luck! The first battles will be later this evening, and all matches will be displayed on the board outside. Until then, please enjoy all the food and drinks you like!"

The man hobbled off the stage as people clapped and cheered. Inside the fair sized stadium, May could really see how many people were there. She thought there was no way she could win all of them and get the trophy.

"Want to get another drink with me?" Drew asked almost shyly. May gave a little smile and looked at Paul. He shrugged and walked off.

"Sure, why not?"

Serena and Ash watched Drew and May walk off together. He'd dropped his hand from her waist and it hung beside him instead. They walked together down to a bench and sat silently down. They were being watched by a few people, but it didn't bother either of them. Serena drew her knees up to her chest.

"So, May and Drew..." Ash started eventually. Serena looked at him and it made him nervous. "Are they... a thing?"

"No, I don't think so." Serena shuffled and rested her hand on top of his. He almost moved it away, but thought better of it and stayed put. "I think he likes her though, and maybe she likes him."

"None of this stuff was going on when I left."

Serena's angry glare suddenly drilled into the side of his face, and he refused to look at her. She pulled her hand away quickly.

"Maybe it would have been if you hadn't," she muttered, with some venom in her tone. Ash gave her a pathetic look, but she could tell he felt guilty. She sighed.

"Of course I'm angry at you. You disappeared without saying a word for two and a half years. I didn't know what had happened, you'd never told me anything was wrong. For a while I thought that it might have been my fault. I thought maybe something about me had driven you away. Then nobody heard from you, and I thought you might have..."

"Shh."

Ash was closer, smiling at her. She stopped and blinked cluelessly at him. He put his hand on top of hers, making it as it had been earlier. She stared at him.

"We all missed you so much."

"I missed most of you," Ash replied with a wink, and looked over at Paul. Serena giggled and put her head on his shoulder. He let her.

"Do you forgive me?"

Serena stayed quiet for a moment. She lay still against him, breathing him in and feeling his warmth. Nothing else mattered. The answer was obvious.

"I do."

"I knew it."

They looked at each other and shared a smile. From a distance, May looked over and frowned. She didn't even understand why she was upset. Was it because she wanted some of Ash's attention too? Then she remembered, she had to thank him for saving her. Reluctantly, she left Drew without a word again and headed for the two of them. She was climbing a slight hill towards the bench, and Serena spotted her pretty quickly. For some reason, she stood up, said goodbye, and started to leave. She passed Paul as she walked away. May made eye contact as she got close to the bench, and she was suddenly nervous. She slowed down, just a few feet away from him, and opened her mouth as if to say something.

Paul passed by her, and gave her an encouraging push. The push was a little too hard. May swung forwards and put her arms out. Ash didn't have time to react before she was on top of him, and their faces landed together, her lips on top of his. Ash jumped. May lost track of what was happening, and for a moment just stayed there on top of him. Then, the realization came back to her, and she scrambled away with a crimson face. Her palms were sweaty and her heart raced.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry! That was Paul, I didn't mean to-"

Ash didn't know what to say. He pushed himself up to stand next to her and blushed. May remembered being pressed against his chest and smiled.

"It's okay," he finally managed, and played around with his hands nervously.

"Thank you for saving me, Ash," May murmured quickly.

"Anything for you," Ash spat out quickly. May's eyes widened a little, and he stuttered. "I-I mean, no problem!"

May chuckled. "Not the best way to meet again, huh?"

"Not really. I'm sorry for leaving."

"I'm just glad you're finally back. I waited for you."

"I swear, I couldn't have come back any earlier. If I could have, I would've."

May was silent for a moment, and the blush came slightly back onto her face. "I'm sorry about the, uh..." She gestured to her lips and shuffled her feet.

"It wasn't your fault..." Ash said, shaking his head. "Besides, it wasn't bad..."

May's face twisted. _What? _She almost asked him aloud, until Drew called her from below. He was holding out her drink.

"How long are you planning on leaving me here looking like an idiot?" he shouted up. May smiled nervously at Ash.

"I should get going."

Ash nodded and looked down at Drew. The green haired boy stared jealously back up at the two of them standing close together. Ash offered a smile, but Drew didn't. May nervously cleared her throat.

"Right, well... I'll see you later, May."

"Yeah, I'll see you," May replied. She half leaned in towards his cheek but quickly drew back with flickering eyes and walked as quickly as she could away. If she looked back, she would have noticed the confusion and happiness on Ash's face.

She ran down the hill to Drew and he caught her at the bottom. She smiled happily back up at Ash once more before grabbing Drew's hand and dragging him away. The glasses landed with a splash on the glass, unharmed, but left alone. They raced away together, and Ash watched with a slightly sad smile.

"Somebody is interested."

He whirled around to face Paul and grunted.

"Great to see you too."

"You're so into May," Paul said with a laugh. Ash grimaced.

"I am not. She's my best friend. You pushed her into me, you prick."

"Ouch, you've grown up, haven't you? I was just kidding."

"It's weird seeing them all now when last time I saw them they were 14."

"You mean you're not used to them being hot with big chests?"

"No," Ash said, glaring at his friend. "Don't talk about them like that."

"I'm just telling it how it is," Paul shrugged. "They've grown up too, you know. You don't look the same either. That's probably why they're always staring at you."

"They're staring?"

"All the time," Paul answered. "They've been fighting a little bit so May's been standing around with me. She was staring at you earlier."

"Oh..."

"Anyway, good luck. Catch you later," Paul suddenly concluded and walked off. Ash stood by himself again for a little while before going off himself to check the battle board. There he found out that he wasn't in any battles today. Only Dawn was, and her battle was against someone named Leah. He hoped that she would win.

"In any battles today?"

Ash didn't need to turn this time. "Nope, but you are."

Dawn stood beside him and sighed, putting her hands on her hips. She turned to face Ash for a moment and her eyes flickered.

"You've changed so much."

"So have you. I hardly recognised you."

"I think Misty's changed the most."

"I've hardly seen her."

They fell silent. It was suddenly awkward, so awkward that they could feel it pressing into them.

"Good luck in your match later, Dawn," he finally managed to say, and she gave a genuine smile.

"Thank you. I'll try to win. I want to battle you eventually, so you better keep winning."

"Heh, don't worry about that. I'll be winning," he winked and Dawn winked back before rushing off back to the room. She passed Drew and May as she entered the elevator and they missed it. There was something she had to ask them all, so she hoped May would be going up there. Fortunately for Dawn, she was, and they were all in the room five minutes later. Drew said goodbye to May at the door as if he were her boyfriend, and gestured slightly for a kiss on the cheek. May didn't pick up on it, and left him hanging. He walked away in a sulk.

Once the door was shut, May was aware of the eyes on her. The three other girls sat staring at her, and she wanted to leave. She knew that would look rude, though, and walked over to her bed as if nothing was happening. Dawn cleared her throat and she froze.

"Right-"

"Oh God, what now?" Misty moaned loudly, and Dawn gave her a deadly glare that shut her up. Serena cowered back a little.

"This is very important, so I want you all to answer truthfully," she began. May sat on the edge of her bed, so that they were all in a circle. They could all see each other. Perfect.

"Raise your hand... If you _like_ Ash Ketchum."

May felt her heart skip and glanced around at them all. They were all doing the same thing and feeling the same way. She gulped, and out of the corner of her eye, caught a movement. Dawn raised her hand. Without hesitation, Serena's hand shot up, and she looked determined. Next was Misty's. They all stared. May felt sick- she raised her hand.

"I knew it!"

"You all like him too!"

"What the hell?!"

"I like him more," Misty stated. The statement caught all of their attention, and the stubborn girls started to tear it apart, claiming they did. Dawn slammed her fist down and they all stopped.

"Be honest. I will be too. I like him a little bit. Nothing like love but... He is damn cute. Serena?"

"I..." Serena started, and she blushed a deep red. Dawn knew the answer. "I like him a lot. I always have... It doesn't even matter if he's cute, I-"

"Misty?"

Misty crossed her arms and turned away. "Maybe, a bit... The annoying prick can be okay sometimes..."

"Right... May?"

May didn't feel comfortable in the conversation. She felt that it was unnecessary and it made her uncomfortable. She didn't want to tell these girls her feelings, since she didn't trust them completely, and even she didn't know how she was feeling.

"I don't know, I'm... I'm still deciding?" May shrugged, hoping that answer would satisfy them. Dawn shrugged back.

"We can't all have him..." Dawn muttered quietly, and Misty rolled her eyes in a sarcastic way.

"Oh, please, of course not. Only one of us can have him, and it's going to be me."

The way she said it made May too worried to even reply. She didn't know what to say. She just watched as the events unfolded, revealing more and more of their feelings, and more and more of their dark sides. She didn't like it. This shouldn't be happening. None of them actually loved them, and he wasn't in love either... Was he?

She knew that if she wanted a chance, she'd have to make a move. She'd have to let Ash know that she was interested. She'd have to make him fall in love with her.

And all the other girls were thinking the same thing.

Serena was the first to move. She stood up without warning and left. Misty hissed as she stood up and grabbed some magazines from Dawn's bedside, then lay back on her bed. Dawn and May sat in silence, staring at the walls and floors, worrying more about Ash than about the battles they'd soon be having.

Meanwhile, Serena was ready. She needed to start letting him know that she liked him. She was certain that she liked him more than the others, even if just a little. She needed to know if he liked her in the slightest or not.

She found him sitting on the edge of one of the fountains, and quickly approached. He watched her coming with a smile, and she sat as close to him as she could.

"Hey."

"Hey. What's up?"

"I need to talk to you."

Ash turned to face her and let his hand rest on hers again. "Okay, what is it?"

"Ash, I..." she started, but her face turned red, and she stopped. "Do you remember years ago, when you battled the girl with the Sylveon, and she told you that you had to be with her if you lost?"

Ash paused for a moment, deep in thought, then nodded. "Yeah, I do... Why?"

"Didn't you notice anything strange about me then?"

"I don't remember noticing anything out of the ordinary... Where is this going?"

"That was one of the biggest hints I left you, but there were a lot more than just that. I don't remember a lot of it, so I bet you don't too. I'm sure we'll remember them as these weeks go on."

"Hints...? What exactly were you hinting at, Serena?"

Serena fell silent again, and stared down at their hands. She didn't want to say it. After all of this, she couldn't bring herself to tell him how she felt. She was so lost for words, she decided to try another method instead. She brought her face up to his, so they were just a little bit apart, and slowly started to move in, her lips near his...

And then they stopped. They hovered there for a moment, feeling each others breath on their faces with their hearts racing and their eyes wide and staring. Ash could see the fear in her eyes, and it was reflected to her in his own. The tension was too much. They could both feel it. She almost went for it.

Suddenly, Ash drew away and stood, leaving a dishevelled girl behind. "Sorry, I gotta go meet Paul..." he excused himself and walked off as quickly as he could. Serena swallowed back the tears that had risen and watched him disappear around the hedge. She had been so close, too.

* * *

"I can't read you," Paul stated, putting his hands behind his head. "You're a tough puzzle."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You know what I mean, Ash." Paul turned to face the boy and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "It's like you're feeling nothing, and you're not leaving any hints at all. Whatever happened to the kid I used to know?"

"I had to leave him behind."

Paul laughed out loud in such a hysteric way, Ash was offended. "Oh, come on! Stop being so depressing and tell me the real answer."

"I can't," Ash said, turning away. "Not yet."

"You don't trust me, huh?"

"That's not it," Ash quickly countered. "I don't want you to get involved."

"Involved in what?" Paul snapped, putting his arms back down. "We're at a festival, for God's sake, what's going to happen here? Where have you been? You're looking real suspicious, Ash, and not just to me- to everyone."

"Well have your suspicions," Ash replied calmly, "I promise none of them are true. I'll tell you once I deal with it."

Paul turned to walk away with a look of disgust on his face, and Ash wasn't going to argue. He was, however, going to warn him.

"But you should know, Paul," he called, and Paul stopped for a moment. "You should know that this place is not safe."

Paul remained still for a moment before turning back with confusion and anger in his eyes. When Ash offered no other words, he turned and stuck his hands in his pockets before walking away. Ash sighed, shook his head, and headed to the arena, where the first battle was already taking place. Later, Dawn would be in there, screaming commands to her Pokémon, and winning. Ash knew she would win. Dawn was fantastic with battles, and he'd always admired her. He'd sit and watch her from the side, never taking his eyes from the beautiful girl, entranced by how graceful she was about it all.

He stood beside her later that day, twenty minutes before her battle would begin. They stood in silence, watching people entering the hall already. They filed into the seats neatly. Ash watched Dawn's hair swaying in the breeze that entered through the open roof. He could tell just by looking in her eyes that she had a lot on her mind, and maybe later he would ask what was bothering her. Since he'd returned, Dawn was the one he'd gotten closest to again. He wanted to know that even if he had changed a lot, he was still there for her, and he always would be. He needed her to know that. She wanted to know that.

"Are you ready?"

"No," she answered honestly. She took her eyes away from the seats for a moment to watch Ash giggle slightly and put his arm around her shoulder in a friendly way. Her frown changed into a beaming smile. May gave a sad wave as she entered and Dawn waved back. Ash wasn't looking. Serena wasn't looking at him either, deliberately. She couldn't face him.

"There's already so many people, I've never performed in front of this many."

"Don't even worry, Dawn," Ash reassured her, and gave her shoulder a rub. She appreciated it. "You'll be perfect."

"Thank you, Ash," she said, and pressed herself against him. He let go of her and turned to face her instead. He'd have to go get his seat in just a minute.

"You're going to your seat now?"

"Yeah, don't want anybody to steal it."

"Before you go, would you do something for me?" Dawn asked confidently, and Ash nodded silently.

"Give me a hug?"

Ash was surprised by the request, but not bothered. In front of everyone sitting there, he pulled her in, and pressed her little body against his bigger one. Her head rested by his shoulder and he held the back of her head, feeling her soft hair. She smiled into his shirt and put her hands on his back for the last few moments of the embrace. Ash let her go after a moment, but he kept him close. She breathed into his ear for a moment. Then, with icy cold lips, she brought her face to his and planted a kiss on his cheek. When she was satisfied, she pulled further away, and left the stunned boy. After giving her just a smile he walked off the battlefield and towards the stairs that took him to his seat.

The battle was short, and it was obvious which girl was the better trainer. Her opponent was perhaps a year older, and attractive. Still, Dawn was more attractive, especially in the beautiful outfit she'd chosen. The thing she noticed about the other girl, Leah, were her glassy green eyes. It was the last thing Dawn thought about before she kicked the girl from the competition completely.

Nurse Joy didn't present this time. It was Cynthia, standing tall at the edge of the field. There were no judges. You just had to win the battle.

Cynthia asked Leah to release her Pokémon first, and she did.

"Go, Kiki!" the girl called, and threw her pokeball. Dawn knew she was a coordinator because of the seal. The pokeball opened in an explosion of hearts and a Simipour was revealed. Leah smiled with confidence. Dawn glanced quickly up at the people she knew in the audience. She realised she knew quite a few of them. She recognised some from the contests she did in Sinnoh.

"You're up, Typhlosion," Dawn called, less enthusiastically than her opponent. Ash noticed. _She dropped her old catchphrase then._

Seconds later, Cynthia announced the beginning of the battle, and Leah raised her arm to point at Typhlosion.

"Kiki, you have the type advantage! Use Hydro Pump!"

The monkey launched itself into the air and both Dawn and her Pokémon watched. Dawn didn't flinch at all as the water was launched in her direction.

"Dodge it, then get in closer," Dawn said calmly. Typhlosion ploughed into Simipour and sent it flying back to where it had started. Before it had time to recover, Dawn had called for Typhlosion to use Flamethrower, and Kiki was surrounded by the flames. Leah squealed. Dawn smiled.

"Kiki!" she called, and the monkey jumped from the flames, shooting a water gun.

"Eruption!"

Typhlosion hadn't taken any damage yet, and so the attack was stronger. It countered the water gun, causing an explosion. They were all concealed in smoke. Dawn could hear Leah cough. She covered her face with her arm and waited for the smoke to clear. When it did, everybody was shocked. The eruption had overpowered the water gun completely, and so Simipour was lying on the ground, fainted. The crowd roared, and Leah ran to scoop up the beaten Kiki. Dawn calmed a little.

"Sorry, Leah," Dawn called across. Leah looked up and smiled. The crowd clapped for Dawn as Cynthia announced that she was the winner, and she would advance onto round two. She looked up and saw Ash smiling at her. She gave him a grin, even though she wasn't overly surprised.

"Congratulations," Leah congratulated her when everyone had finished cheering. Dawn offered her a hand.

Outside, May stepped out into the burning sun. Serena walked past her, but she stopped, watching a dazzled Misty walk out and wait. She knew who she was waiting for, and she felt a need to watch, even though she shouldn't have. She sat down and rested against a tree, wrapping her arms around her knees. Ash emerged next, and she watched Misty approach him. There were no words, just a loving hug. She knew how Misty felt.

"You massive idiot," Misty said pathetically as she pulled away. May noticed the tear rolling down her cheek and onto her smile.

"Great to see you too," Ash laughed, and May found herself smiling stupidly over at them. It was nice watching two friends reunite, and it reminded her of how she felt.

"Never do that to me again!"

"I promise!" Ash said, as if he were scared of her. They laughed together, and somehow it was as if nothing had happened at all. That was the kind of relationship they'd always had, and they always would have. The talk turned to mindless catch up, and May let herself rest against the tree. She figured soon enough, Drew would find her and take her away. If not that, she'd doze off, and wake when something interesting was happening. She was right about one of the things, and it happened earlier than expected. She had just let her eyes close, when she heard someone sit beside her.

"Lovely weather, huh?"

"I knew you'd come here," May said, sitting up and opening her tired eyes. Drew was smiling like an idiot, as usual. "Don't you have any friends?"

"Yeah, you," he said with a wink, and she couldn't help smiling. Seeing the smile, Drew nudged her playfully.

"Nothing interesting has happened yet today," he said, and May was reminded of the bet they'd made the night before. Her face turned horrified. Drew laughed loudly, so that people stared.

"There's still time!" May said defensively.

"Yeah right! Admit it, you're hoping I win!"

"As if!" May laughed and nudged Drew back harder, so he fell back against the grass. He reached out and tried to grab her foot as she continued to laugh and stood to run away. He scrambled up and chased after her, a grin plastered on his face. May forgot everything else for a moment, until she turned back for a moment. She saw her watchers. From behind one tree, Serena watched with a smile that spoke for her. From the doors, Ash watched, with a look of pain. May's face fell for a moment.

Drew tackled her, and she fell back onto the grass. Everything was gone again as she hissed and laughed and messed around with her friend. Ash's sad eyes continued to watch from a distance. Jealousy.

* * *

**And that's it for chapter 4. Don't forget to vote for which shipping should be included more in the next chapter, if you want to! Also, the poll is up at the top of my profile for the final ship!**


	5. Hey May

**This chapter is here quicker than the last ones, I think? I've been in the mood to write a lot so maybe the chapters will come faster now. **

**A certain ship won the votes in reviews/PMs on the last chapter so as promised that is the most included ship in this chapter. :3**

* * *

Later that evening, May and Drew returned to the main building together. They had decided not to watch any of the other battles that took place, because she knew no one in them, and neither did he. By the time they returned, it was getting dark. Nothing interesting had happened yet. Drew was nervous. Truthfully, he didn't think it would go this far. He thought something would happen too.

"Disappointingly uninteresting day." May yawned as they reached the elevator. "But I still had fun."

"I had a lot of fun," Drew said with a wink. May gave a sad smile, and he wondered what made her look like that. He didn't get time to ask; she left the elevator at her floor.

"Come see me later," she said softly to him. He blushed slightly and nodded, and the doors closed. Finally alone, May let out a sigh and a smile. Buzzing after her fun day, she ran down the corridor and exploded into their room, and bumped straight into Ash.

"Sorry!" she called before she knew who it was, and backed off. When she saw it was him, her face dropped. "Ash?"

Misty emerged from the bathroom and May's eyes widened. They flicked between Misty and Ash, full of suspicion. Ash realised what she was thinking. He choked. Before he could deny it, Serena peeped over the side of her bunk bed, and May's face calmed. She rolled her eyes.

"Everyone's in here?"

"Yeah," Serena said from her bunk, "we all came here about an hour ago. You were out with Drew though, right?"

"None of your business," May snapped. After a deep breath, she allowed herself to sit down by the door. She spotted Dawn finally, sitting in the corner, reading a book. Ash started to talk to Serena, and she leaned over the edge of the bunk to look down at him sitting on the bottom. Her hair fell down with her, and Ash laughed at how cute she looked. May crossed her arms and her attention turned to Misty. The redhead had become interested in a bag on the floor. May knew right away that it was Ash's. Misty opened it.

"Misty, you shouldn't look through other people's stuff!" May called, putting her fist down on the floor. Ash whirled around, but she was entranced by something she'd seen. Ash's face fell. Something was going to happen, and May knew it then. Misty's hand reached in. Ash was after her.

"No!" he shouted. "Don't t-"

Too late. Misty took hold of something May hadn't seen yet, and it glowed. The light exploded into the room, so bright that Dawn squealed and May dived down, covering her eyes. She heard Serena scream and a thud as Misty dropped the object. She kept her eyes firmly shut and her heart raced in her chest. She started to shake.

Then, the light dispersed, and everyone's breathing was audible. Was that it? May dared to open one eye, and then they both shot open. She scampered back. She was sitting by the bag. How had she moved? As she scampered back, she caught sight of her shoes. Red converses.

"What?!" she shouted, looking at her different hands. "What?!"

Opposite her, Ash started to scream, except his voice sounded higher than usual. Then she realised that it wasn't Ash. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a movement, and looked over to face herself. Her heart stopped. She saw her own body look at itself and start to breath heavily, backing up against the wall. May let go and she thudded against the ground, out cold.

Serena appeared on the edge of the bed, gripping the wood angrily. "I told you not to touch it!"

"Jesus Christ!" Dawn was screaming. "What the fuck?! Oh my God!"

"Why am I May?!" came Dawn's voice, from May's body. "Why the hell am I May?!"

"Calm down!" Serena called, and jumped straight down. She put her arms on May's shoulder. To Misty, it looked like Serena touching May. Really, it was Ash touching Dawn. She looked down at her fainted body on the floor, and she wanted to faint too.

"Okay, okay," Serena said from Ash's body. Ash and Dawn turned to face her. She sat down against the bed. Dawn and Ash sat too, and eventually Misty followed. Ash put his head in his hands. Nobody knew what to say.

"I told you not to touch it," Ash repeated from Serena's body. Dawn was feeling May's soft hair, and smiling. Misty was tugging at Dawn's rather short dress and scowling. Serena was blushing and not wanting to move in the other gender's body.

"What the hell is that thing?" Misty asked, and she dared to reach out and pick up the stone again. Nothing happened. She threw it against the ground and it bounced near the window. Ash sighed.

"I have no idea, last time I found it we had the same problem. Me and some random guy. It wears off."

"Oh, thank God," Dawn said, "How long does it take?"

"24 hours."

The three girls started to shout and Ash covered his ears. "I can't do anything about it! You touched it!"

Dawn launched forward onto Misty and pushed her back onto the floor. Misty shouted curse words at the girl as they rolled around and pulled violently at each other's hair. Dawn didn't even care about pulling at her own hair. She was so angry. Serena started to cry as Ash, and it was a strange thing to see. May still lay unconscious a few feet away. Ash shouted too and put his arms around Dawn's waist, dragging her away from Misty. He accidentally touched May's chest. Dawn reached around and hit him.

"This is a mess!" Serena shouted. Dawn was backing away from Ash, who rubbed Serena's face painfully. Misty lay breathing heavily on the ground.

"Okay, we're going to have to deal with this," Dawn said, brushing May's hair away. The bow had fallen out. Serena stood, and with Ash's strength, picked May up. She lay her down on the bed and fixed up the yellow tank top a bit. Misty watched her own body being picked up with crossed arms.

Serena was blushing bright red, and nobody knew why. She always looked like she was going to cry. She knew why. It was because she was feeling an urge to do something, and it was breaking her heart at the same time. She wanted to do it so much, she wondered how he even managed to deal with it.

Then, a knock came at the door. Everybody froze. Dawn was closest to the door, so they all glanced at her. She sighed and pulled it open in May's body. Nobody made any noise as it swung open. Quicker than lightning, Drew was pulling Dawn to him, and his lips landed on hers. Ash choked and Misty stared. Apparently, Drew was kissing May, but that was not how it was working. After a moment, Drew pulled away, and everything got worse.

"Nothing happened May, right? That was the deal, and I wanted to tell you that..." he trailed off a bit as he noticed how shocked and terrified she looked. "I really like you..."

Dawn was absolutely terrified. The real May was unconscious, and had heard none of it. Drew waited for a reply. Eventually, one came, but not from the expected person. It came from Serena, as Ash.

"That's not May."

Drew noticed the group of people for the first time and stammered. He thought she was alone. Serena stood up and walked towards them, but Drew saw it as Ash approaching, and stood his ground. They were roughly the same height. Drew narrowed his eyes.

"Don't worry, it's me, Serena," came a higher pitched voice than usual. Drew raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he said, and he looked into the room again. Dawn moved away from the door and he stepped inside. "What's going on here?"

"Don't panic, but," Dawn started as May. "I'm not May. I'm Dawn."

"Dawn?" Drew asked, shaking his head. "I just kissed you again, then?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," she answered with a nervous giggle. Drew sighed.

"Our bodies got switched when Misty touched a weird stone. Ash is Serena, Serena is Ash, I'm May, May is Misty and Misty is me."

"Is she okay?" Drew asked, staring over at Misty's body on the bed. May had heard nothing he'd said, and it had taken a lot of pushing to get him to say it. He'd felt relieved that it was finally out, and now he'd have to say it again. Or maybe he just wouldn't.

"Yes, I'm sure she's okay. She just got a shock and passed out."

Ash had been silent the entire time, and Misty was watching him. She wondered why he'd looked the way he did when Drew burst in and kissed Dawn. Was it because he was kissing Dawn, or because he liked May? Or was he just surprised?

"The battles!" Misty exploded suddenly. "What are we going to do about the battles?!"

Serena hit her head off the edge of the bed and Ash glared angrily at her. Drew was so confused he wanted to be sick.

"It's like nine, let's worry about that tomorrow."

"You expect me to be able to sleep like this?" Dawn said, looking down at May's body. "And I'm definitely not changing into pyjamas!"

Ash suddenly blushed, looking down at the body he was in. He looked at Serena, who's eyes were wide in concern.

"No way!" Dawn shouted to Misty, who threw her arms up.

"I wouldn't!"

"We're going to have to sleep like this," Ash said, sitting down on the bed. Misty hissed.

"Gross!"

"Have you got any better ideas?" he snapped, and she shut up. Drew hovered by the open door.

"Where do you even stay, Ash?"

"Here, for tonight," he answered. "I'm not going anywhere like this, people will notice the low voice. It's weird."

"Where are you going to sleep?" Serena asked, looking around at the four beds. Ash shrugged, reached into his bag, and pulled out a sleeping bag.

"Okay, well..." Drew tried from the door. He started to slide out of the room. "Sorry to bother you all... I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Drew," Dawn said sadly, and the boy shut the door behind him. She knew what kissing Drew felt like in her own body, but it was much different in May's. There was something else there, but she didn't know what it was yet. She flicked the light off and Misty scowled. Ignoring her, she lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. Pretty soon, she was asleep. Misty was the next one to drift off.

Serena shuffled to look at the clock. It was 3am. She moaned quietly. Being in Ash's body felt to weird, and she couldn't sleep. She heard someone else shuffle.

"Can't sleep, huh?" Ash asked quietly from below. She turned to face him in the darkness, though she couldn't see him.

"You too?"

Ash stayed silent for a moment, and then he said something that Serena just could not answer.

"I'm feeling weird things," Ash said, and she froze. "I don't really understand them, but they're your feelings..."

"W-what kind of feelings?" she asked, but she already knew.

"Feelings for myself," he said, and Serena blushed deeply. "But... Feelings for Paul too."

"What?" Serena spat. "Paul?"

"Don't even know about your own feelings, eh?" he said, and she heard him roll over. "I'm going to sleep."

Serena lay in her own confusion, but not her own body. She didn't sleep for the remainder of the night. In the morning her eyes felt heavy, and she prayed she wouldn't be in a battle. She couldn't battle in somebody else's body with tired senses. She looked up and inspected the room. Everyone lay in a different person's body, except May. She'd woken and was staring from a chair in the corner. Serena sat up to face her.

"Good morning, May."

"Who are you?"

It was a funny question to hear, yet it made sense. "Serena," she answered softly, as if speaking to a small child. May looked tense.

"Right, you're not Ash."

"I don't think so," Serena said lightly. May didn't move. "How are you feeling?"

"Angry, for some reason."

"That's because you're Misty. You're thinking like Misty. Misty would be angry at a time like this. I'm feeling like Ash right now too. It's weird, but you'll accept it."

"Will I?" May asked in a sarcastic way. Serena simply sighed. "Sorry, I'm just feeling really weird. You know how Ash is feeling?"

"Yeah, kind of... It's hard to understand though."

May touched a sore spot on her head, the spot that had collided roughly with the ground. She winced. "Misty has some weird feelings too..."

"Oh? Like what?"

Then, they were aware of an intruders eyes. Misty sat watching. She shook her head at May, and May stayed silent. Serena and Misty stared at each other for a moment until one became disinterested and looked away. Dawn yawned and stretched. May looked down at her own body and grew pale again.

"Oh God, don't faint again, please," Serena said, rushing over. To May, it looked like Ash running over. She nudged her out of the way and rushed to the bathroom to throw up. Serena started to hit her head off the wood again.

"Calm down," Misty spoke from Dawn's body. "This isn't your problem, stop getting so worked up."

"Yeah, you're right," Serena snapped and pointed. "It's YOUR problem! You did this! It's all your fault, stupid!"

Ash was suddenly up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Misty looked somewhat offended or upset, but it soon disappeared and was replaced with her anger. She slammed her fist against the bed.

"I'm stupid? I saw what you almost did with Ash yesterday, and you're calling me stupid? Ha, _that _was stupid! Pathetic!"

"Shut up!" Serena said, tears welling up in her eyes. Ash was there by her side, telling her it was okay, but she ignored him. "Shut up!"

"Getting all worked up just thinking about it, huh?" Misty was poking at her. "I don't blame you!"

Serena cracked. She jumped for Misty, and was the second one to want to kill her in 12 hours. They flew back and burst through the doors onto the balcony. Misty fell back against the bars.

"I said shut up," Serena hissed, making her press further back against them. "I already hate you. Don't make me hurt you."

Misty gave a mocking laugh as Ash appeared by the door, shouting at Serena to stop it. Under the pressure of being in another persons body, and the weirdness of it, Serena was not herself. She'd cracked. She elbowed Misty in the ribs painfully, and watched Dawn's body slide down, holding it's stomach. Ash had her by the arm now, and was being rough too. For a moment, she wanted to hit him too. Then her senses came back to her and she gave up, letting him drag her away.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, and he gently hushed her. Misty stood back up and coughed a few times before glaring and walking out.

"I should go after her," she whispered again. Ash let her go and she brushed herself off with an embarrassed expression. Without another word she chased Misty out of the room. Dawn went off too. Ash wondered when May would unlock the bathroom door and stop crying.

"Misty!" Serena called. Dawn caught up and watched as Misty stopped rushing away and looked back with tears in her eyes. Both of them stopped in shock. Misty was crying? The girl choked on a sob and turned to run again. Serena continued her pursuit.

Outside, Dawn rushed in front of her own body and Misty stopped. Serena caught up from behind. Misty sighed and dried her eyes.

"Ash is stronger than you think," she muttered and rubbed her stomach. Serena lowered her gaze.

"Great, I have that to look forward to," Dawn sighed. There was no sympathy coming from any of them. She'd deserved it, and she needed to know that. Serena didn't even apologize.

"I have an idea," Dawn said to Misty then, out of the blue. Misty did her best to look interested, but the pain was distracting. Dawn seemed excited. "It involves you, and May. Not you though, Serena. Only because of the body you're in."

"Well, what is it?"

"Don't you think that Ash's secrecy has something to do with May's accident?" she suggested, but the other girls only looked confused.

"Accident?"

"You know, the forest one. Why would Ash even be out there at all? Who the hell would chase May into the forest like that?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting we lure whoever it was back out using me, as I'm May. I'd like you to stay watch but not Serena, because she's in Ash's body. We'll have to go back there alone but nobody goes there anyway."

The other girls hushed suddenly, and Dawn turned her attention to Ash and May leaving the building. They weren't talking or even walking near each other, but they went in the same direction. May's arms were crossed tightly across her, or rather Misty's, chest. She was deliberately standing apart. Something was bothering her. When they were both far enough away, the conversation resumed.

"Is May going to be involved in this?" Misty asked, raising an eyebrow. She was sceptical about it, and she had every right to be. It was a dodgy idea that only Dawn would think of.

"If she wants to be, yes."

"I don't know..."

"Oh, come on," Dawn said confidently. Misty tapped her foot rhythmically on the ground. "We'll be there, and so if anything bad happens, I won't be alone. I'm not afraid."

Misty bit her bottom lip roughly. Dawn seemed to be waiting for an answer. After a moment of almost awkward silence, Misty let out a whimper of defeat.

"Fine, I'll do it."

Dawn jumped and clapped for a moment with a grin on her face. Obviously, she was keen to know what was going on. More than just concern for Ash was involved this time. Misty knew it, but kept her mouth shut. She wasn't so keen.

"What time will this be?"

"I hate to be the one to say it," Serena cut in before Dawn could answer, "but shouldn't we check if any of us have battles today?"

Misty muttered a curse under her breath. "I'd forgotten about that. I suppose we better."

"That's where Ash and May were going, I bet."

The strange group of people journeyed to the battle board in silence, and also stared at it in silence. Two of the girls sighed in relief. The other wanted to curl up and cry.

"It'll be okay," Dawn rested her hand on Serena's shoulder. Serena made a slight choking noise. A lump formed in her throat.

"I... I can't battle for Ash... Ash is far better than me, I was never as good as him... If I lose for him I won't be able to forgive myself... I can't do it..."

Serena's eyes were flooding over now. She sniffed and covered her face. To everyone else, it looked like Ash crying, and that was a weird sight. Dawn put her arm on Serena's shoulder, but she would not take the hands away from her face.

"This is all your fault, Misty!" she called from behind the wall she'd built. "I'm tired of this already!"

"Serena, stop crying," Dawn asked her nicely, but it didn't sound so nice to Serena. She continued to cry underneath her hands. Dawn reached up and gently tugged at them, trying to pry them away from her face. They didn't budge.

"Come on, it's okay," Dawn cooed, and Serena stopped crying. Dawn's hands rested on hers and she pulled them away from her face. Ash's eyes were still flooding and red, except now they only looked confused. She glanced down at Dawn's hands holding hers.

"What?" a lower voice stammered. Dawn dropped the hands with a squeak and a blush. Ash raised his hands and rubbed his eyes.

"What?" Misty echoed from behind.

"It hasn't been 24 hours," Ash said, and his voice still quivered from the crying. He rubbed his eyes again. "What was she crying about?"

"You have a battle today and she was worried about losing for you."

Ash smiled down at the ground but didn't say a word. Dawn watched with suspicion.

"She shouldn't have been worried, I know she would have won."

"You should know that your battle starts in twenty minutes," Misty added, and distracted Dawn from Ash's last statement. Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. It was then that Dawn remembered the hat he would always wear, and the absence of it felt wrong. She failed to realize she was staring as he started off towards the battlefield. It took her a minute to notice and catch up.

When they arrived, everyone was already waiting. Serena was by the room for contestants, but May had already gone over to her seat. Ash quietly reminded them all to act as normal as possible if they switched back at any time during the battle.

Ash stepped onto the battlefield and for a moment Serena followed. There was no hugging like there had been at Dawn's battle though. Serena simply wished him luck, and Ash nodded with a sad smile. Not wanting it to get any more awkward, she walked off before he had a chance to say anything. Then his opponent, a middle aged woman, stepped onto the field. She reminded Ash of Sabrina, the gym leader. He gave her a polite nod, and watched her facial expression change as she realized who it was. Famous missing people don't usually just show up for a battle.

May was eager to see which Pokemon Ash still had with him. After all, she hadn't seen Pikachu since he'd gotten back, yet Ash didn't seem overly upset about it. Unless Pikachu disappeared years ago. She so wanted to know his story.

"Who do you think will win?" Dawn stupidly asked, minutes before the battle began. May was too entranced to answer.

"God, it's been years since I watched him battle like this. It kind of feels as if nothing happened, doesn't it?"

Nobody answered her because nobody agreed.

Cynthia was walking on next, and she exchanged a look with Ash. Her face twisted when she spotted him. The battle was supposed to begin as soon as she announced it, but she didn't. Instead she walked over to the tall boy. She couldn't help herself.

"Is that you, Ash?" she muttered to the boy, as if anyone was around to listen. Ash didn't falter one bit.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Jesus Christ," Cynthia chimed and threw her arms around the slightly smaller boy. He let her. "Everyone was so worried about you. Do you want to catch up later?"

Ash hesitated just long enough for her to notice.

"Or do you not want to confide that information to me yet?"

"No," Ash quickly corrected her, "I'll come."

"I'll see you later then," Cynthia whispered and walked back over to her spot. Ash let his hand rest on the pokeballs he'd set on his belt. Cynthia raised an arm and the entire crowd fell silent. Ash hadn't stood in front of a crowd for years. He tried to reject the butterflies in his stomach. He hadn't had this feeling in a long time. It still came.

Cynthia introduced him, and the crowd was unnaturally silent. He looked up at them all and it felt as if they were closing in on him. His eyes clenched shut. After a moment of stares, the clapping began, and the cheers were loud and enthusiastic. He managed to force his eyes open again.

The opponent was cheered too, but hers were considerably quieter. She somewhat expected it once she realized who she was up against. She also expected to be defeated minutes later.

She was wrong.

"Espeon!" she called which Ash was still slightly in a daze. Ash watched the small Pokemon appear and reached for his own Pokemon slowly. When Cynthia gave the signal, he threw it up into the air. He almost wasn't used to doing it anymore.

"Greninja," he called as the Pokemon was released. Almost immediately it searched the crowd for a familiar face. It found it in the form of Serena, and raised an arm for her. A grin spread across her face and she waved frantically back. It smiled.

Cynthia announced the beginning of the battle. Ash didn't remember any of his old strategies. The girl raised her arm and shouted a command to her Espeon. It was blocked out by Ash's ears.

"Dodge it!" he called at the last moment, and the extremely fast frog Pokemon rolled away.

"Water shuriken," Ash called. The Greninja joined its hands together and shot blasts of water at it's enemy. The disoriented Espeon collided with the attack, and then another came. It took several blows before it could finally get away to land right where it started. Ash almost shouted another attack, but he was cut off.

He was cut off by an explosion.

An attack flew down from above and hit Greninja straight on. Glaceon jumped in to push it out of the way of the next one. Dust from the ground flew up into Ash's face and he choked as he was concealed from the spectators. Some were gasping now.

Ash ran in and knelt beside his Pokemon with a grimace. He returned the Pokemon and looked angrily up to the sky above. He could see nothing but the sand from the ground. It was slowly settling.

"Ash!" the girl called. Ash didn't have time to react. The next blow landed right by him and he was pushed backward into the wall. His back collided roughly with the concrete and he heard it slightly crumble behind him, right before his ears started ringing. His vision blurred and he suddenly realized that this what May felt like. He couldn't concentrate.

The smoke was clearing, and everyone was running screaming. Of course, all he saw was blurs and all he heard was the white noise currently plaguing him. His face twitched as he slumped against the wall and squinted to get a better luck.

One girl was not running.

She leaped over the rails and landed loudly on the battlefield. He heard her screaming something, and one of her Pokemon appeared. Ash's vision started to clear a bit, and he noticed the hot air balloon now. It was far superior to any he'd ever seen before. Then, inside, a woman in her mid twenties, beautiful but evil. Her hair fell at her sides now, but her uniform was the same, except black. Jessie of Team Rocket.

And then there was two Pokemon, a Beautifly and a Noivern. Nearly everyone had fled now. Ash still could hardly concentrate, but he managed to see the Beautifly completely destroy the balloon, and Jessie fled on her Pokemon. He heard her coming before he saw her, and that informed him that his ears were working again. She fell to her knees beside him and he pushed himself up with difficulty.

He felt something on his chest and looked down to see tears falling from her eyes and staining his shirt dark. He couldn't hide his confusion at her tears, but still he brought his hand up and rested it softly on her smooth cheek. She sniffed and looked up into his eyes.

"May, I'm fine," he reassured her, and she rubbed her face against his hand like a small dog before letting it drop. She allowed herself to smile.

"Here," she said weakly, and put her arm around his shoulder. She coaxed him up gently and Ash found it wasn't too hard to stand, though it was painful. She let him rest on her, even though it was difficult for her.

"Stop going easy on me," she ordered as they got into the dressing rooms, which Ash never used. He gently let himself go from her shoulder and sat down. She ordered him to rest there as she went off to find a first aid kit. Luckily for them both, there was one just sitting nearby. Surprisingly, lots of accidents happened in the dressing rooms.

"Thank you, May," he muttered gently as she bent down by his arm and started to bandage it. The only bad wound was there. She still looked as if the tears were just about to fall. He felt the urge to hug her and tried to push it away.

"You've saved me once before," May explained as she finished tying it up. "How could I not repay the favour?"

"It wasn't a favour," Ash grunted as he moved his arm around. "I was saving your life."

"Then don't think of this as a favour either," May replied as she pushed herself up. Ash admired her as she did.

"I wouldn't," Ash started, pushing himself up too. He winced in pain. "But why?"

May stopped moving and turned to face the boy. She almost said it. She was so close to saying it. Instead, she gave a weak smile and pulled him in. She rested her head on his chest and heard his heart beating through. This is why, she thought. Because if this stopped, she would never get over it.

* * *

**So yes, Advanceshipping won the last vote. Currently in the poll, a certain ship is quite a bit far ahead. Don't forget to vote there if you haven't already. Also, if you want to, leave a review! The ship with the most votes in reviews/PMs will be the one most included in the next chapter!**


End file.
